Review

Intense training: the key to optimal performance before

and during the taper
I. Mujika
1,2
1
USP Araba Sport Clinic, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain,
2
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology,
University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Basque Country, Spain
Corresponding author: Inigo Mujika, PhD, USP Araba Sport Clinic, Paseo de la Biosfera s/n, 01013 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque
Country, Spain. E-mail: [email protected]
Accepted for publication 11 December 2009
The training load is markedly reduced during the taper so
that athletes recover fromintense training and feel energized
before major events. Load reduction can be achieved
by reducing the intensity, volume and/or frequency
of training, but with reduced training load there may be a
risk of detraining. Training at high intensities before
the taper plays a key role in inducing maximal physiological
and performance adaptations in both moderately trained
subjects and highly trained athletes. High-intensity training
can also maintain or further enhance training-induced
adaptations while athletes reduce their training before
a major competition. On the other hand, training
volume can be markedly reduced without a negative impact
on athletes performance. Therefore, the training load
should not be reduced at the expense of intensity during
the taper. Intense exercise is often a performance-determin-
ing factor during match play in team sports, and high-
intensity training can also elicit major tness gains
in team sport athletes. A tapering and peaking program
before the start of a league format championship or a
major tournament should be characterized by high-intensity
activities.
A taper is the training phase characterized by a
reduction of the amount of training that athletes
undergo during the nal days leading to a major
competition. The aim of the taper is to diminish
fatigue induced by intense training, maximize phy-
siological adaptations and consequently performance
(Bosquet et al., 2007). The reduction of the training
load can be achieved by various modications of an
athletes training program, such as reducing training
frequency (diminishing the number of sessions), re-
ducing training volume (shortening the duration of
sessions) and/or reducing training intensity (making
the training bouts less demanding for a given dura-
tion). An excessive reduction in training load (the
total training stimulus imposed on an athlete, usually
quantied as a combination of training volume
weighted by training intensity), however, could be
detrimental to training-induced adaptations, and
elicit a partial or complete loss of training-induced
anatomical, physiological and performance adapta-
tions, i.e. detraining (Mujika & Padilla, 2000). To
avoid detraining, it is important to determine the
extent to which the training load can be reduced,
while retaining or improving adaptations and athletic
performance.
Training before the taper phase can have a major
impact on an athletes fatigue and adaptation levels.
Intense training in particular is a type of training that
not only induces high levels of fatigue but also can
maximize adaptations. In the following sections, the
impact of training intensity on the physiological and
performance adaptations to training and tapering are
reviewed briey. Given dierent physiological de-
mands, training design, competition calendar and
performance assessment criteria, the taper for indi-
vidual and team sports is analyzed separately,
although many of the conclusions that can be ex-
tracted from individual sport research have direct
implications for team sports athletes.
Intense training in individual sports
Several studies analyze the eects of intensity, dura-
tion and frequency of exercise as determinants of the
cardiovascular response of healthy but previously
untrained individuals to a training program (Shep-
hard, 1968; Faria, 1970; Davies & Knibbs, 1971).
These studies highlight that intensity of the eort
relative to the individuals initial tness level is a
major factor inuencing the magnitude of training-
induced adaptations in tness and exercise perfor-
mance. Similarly, in a study of the interactions of
exercise training intensity, frequency and duration in
Scand J Med Sci Sports 2010: 20 (Suppl. 2): 2431
& 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S
doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01189.x
24
altering maximal oxygen consumption (VO
2max
),
Wenger and Bell (1986) concluded that intensity
is the key factor in producing improvements in
aerobic capacity.
The importance of training intensity also applies to
athletic populations. Rusko (1987) evaluated the
longitudinal changes in the aerobic power character-
istics of cross country skiers, and concluded that
intense training at and above the intensity corre-
sponding to the so-called anaerobic threshold is
most eective in inducing improvements in VO
2max
.
Mujika et al. (1995) reached a similar conclusion
after studying the relationships between the mean
intensity of a training season, training volume and
frequency and the changes in performance in a group
of 18 elite level swimmers. The improvement in
performance during the follow-up training season
was correlated with the mean intensity of the season
(r 50.69), but not with training volume or frequency.
Various researchers have also emphasized the eec-
tiveness of high-intensity interval training as a means
to enhance physiological adaptations and performance
capabilities of already highly trained endurance ath-
letes. Acevedo and Goldfarb (1989) reported that high-
intensity training and Fartlek workouts by highly
trained long-distance runners at 9095% of the max-
imal heart rate (HR
max
), 3 days per week for 8 weeks
resulted in a 3% improvement in 10km run time and a
20% gain in a treadmill run to exhaustion at 14.5
18.5 km/h, despite trivial changes in VO
2max
and
ventilatory threshold. This improvement was attribu-
ted to a lowered lactate concentration at the intensity
at which the athletes had trained, and to subjects being
able to exercise at a higher percent of their VO
2max
before reaching the onset of blood lactate accumula-
tion. Lindsay et al. (1996) evaluated the eects of a
4-week program of high-intensity training in competi-
tive cyclists. The training consisted of replacing 15% of
the usual prolonged moderate intensity base training
with two to three weekly sessions of six to eight
repetitions of 5 min at 80% of their peak aerobic
power interspersed with 60 s recovery periods. The
program elicited 3.5%, 4.3% and 19.8% gains in a
40 km cycling time trial performance, peak aerobic
power and a timed ride to exhaustion at 150% of peak
aerobic power, respectively. Similarly, Stepto et al.
(1999) reported substantial performance enhancements
in a 40km time trial in highly trained cyclists after
completion of six high-intensity training sessions over
3 weeks, consisting of either eight times 4min at 85%
of peak aerobic power (3.3% gain) or 12 times 30s at
175% of peak aerobic power (1.9% gain).
In a study on highly trained middle and long-
distance runners, Denadai et al. (2006) reported
improvements in velocity associated with VO
2max
(1.24.2%), running economy (2.66.3%) and
1500 m performance (0.81.9%) after eight high-
intensity training sessions characterized by ve repe-
titions lasting 60% of the time limit at the peak
aerobic velocity. A 4-week high-intensity training
intervention in well-trained rowers involving 8 by
2.5-min intervals at 90% peak aerobic velocity also
produced gains of 1.9% in 2000 m time, 5.8% in
2000 m rowing power and 7.0% in relative VO
2peak
(Driller et al., 2009). Endurance-trained runners
drastically reduced their training volume from
45 km per week to 10 km for 4 weeks, but supple-
menting training with eight to 12 sprint runs lasting
30 s three to four times per week reported signicant
performance gains during intense exercise. Improve-
ments were related with an increased muscle sodium
potassium pump expression and a tighter control of
potassium homeostasis (Iaia et al., 2008). These
researchers also observed 68% lower VO
2
at sub-
maximal running speeds, while muscle oxidative
capacity, capillarization and 10 km running perfor-
mance were maintained (Iaia et al., 2009).
Thus, training intensity is of paramount impor-
tance to maximize training adaptations in both
untrained subjects and highly trained athletes. There
is evidence for the use of high-intensity training
as a strategy to maximize physiological and perfor-
mance adaptations of well-trained athletes in a vari-
ety of individual sports and modes of locomotion.
Intense training during tapering in individual sports
Hickson et al. (1985) provided the rst insight into the
key role of training intensity on aerobic power and
endurance during periods of reduced training. Follow-
ing a 10-week cycling and running training program of
40 min per day, 6 days per week, the work intensity of
their moderately active subjects was reduced by 33%
or 66% for 15 weeks, while maintaining training
volume and frequency. The 33% intensity reduction
group showed close to 9% reductions in VO
2max
after
10 weeks, but values remained above pre-training
levels. Five-minute exercise performance (short-term
endurance) was maintained over the 15 weeks in this
group, while the cycling time to exhaustion at 80% of
VO
2max
(long-term endurance) decreased by 21%.
VO
2max
was reduced by the fth week of reduced
training in the 66% intensity reduction group, and
treadmill VO
2max
was not higher than pre-training
after 15 weeks of reduced training. Moreover, short-
term cycling endurance decreased by the fth week of
reduced training, and long-term endurance declined
by 30 % after 15 weeks. These data support that
training intensity is essential for maintaining the
training-induced increased aerobic power during per-
iods of reduced training.
Another key investigation that highlighted the role
of training intensity on athletes adaptation to the
Intense training and tapering
25
taper was performed by Shepley et al. (1992). These
authors investigated some of the physiological and
performance eects of three dierent 7-day tapers in
highly trained middle-distance runners. The dierent
tapers included a concomitant reduction in training
intensity and volume, maintenance of training in-
tensity with a sharp reduction in training volume and
a rest-only procedure. The low-intensity taper con-
sisted of continuous running at 5760% of VO
2max
during each of the days of the taper. In contrast, the
high-intensity taper was characterized by a standard
warm-up followed by a series of intense 500 m inter-
vals at 115120% of VO
2max
interspersed by a recov-
ery walk lasting 67 min. Time to fatigue during
treadmill running at a pace equivalent to individual
best 1500m time improved only with the high-inten-
sity taper (22% improvement). Maximal voluntary
isometric strength of the knee extensors increased to a
similar extent after all three procedures (1019%).
The high-intensity taper also induced a 15% increase
in muscle glycogen concentration, an 18% increase in
citrate synthase activity and 515% increase in total
blood and red cell volume. The highly trained middle-
distance runners improved their performance during a
high-intensity exhaustive treadmill run by sharply
reducing training volume while maintaining or slightly
increasing training intensity. Improvements were
mainly attributed to an increased oxidative enzyme
activity and/or increases in blood and red cell volume
(Shepley et al., 1992).
Houmard et al. (1994) designed a study in which 18
male and six female distance runners were assigned
to a 7-day run taper during which total weekly
training volume was reduced to 15% of the previous
training volume, a cycling taper of the same volume
and duration, or a control group that continued with
normal training. The run taper mainly consisted of
intense 400 m intervals at 5 km race pace or some-
what faster, whereas the cycling taper consisted of
similar intervals in terms of repetition number,
duration and intensity, to ensure an equivalent
training stimulus between groups. Relative exercise
intensity may have been slightly higher in the cycling
taper group given that VO
2max
and HR
max
are
typically lower during cycling compared with the
running exercise. Only the run taper group improved
5 km performance by a mean of 2.8%. In addition,
this group reduced their relative and absolute oxygen
consumption during a submaximal run by 5% and
6%, respectively, indicating an improvement in run-
ning economy. The fractional utilization of VO
2peak
,
expressed in both absolute and body mass relative
terms, also decreased by 6%. Increases in maximal
speed (2%) and time to exhaustion (4%) during an
incremental treadmill test to volitional fatigue were
signicant in the run taper group, but not in the
cycling taper or in the control group. It appears that
an improvement in running economy as a function of
the reduction in training coupled with a high-inten-
sity sport-specic exercise can enhance performance.
Middle-distance runners were the participants in a
study in which the physiological and performance
responses to a 6-day taper were evaluated (Mujika et
al., 2000). Both low-intensity continuous training (at
heart rate below maximal blood lactate steady state)
and high-intensity interval training (interval sets at
running speeds above the speed corresponding to
maximal blood lactate steady state) were progres-
sively reduced to either 50% or 25% of pre-taper
values. None of the taper protocols resulted in
improvements in an 800 m competition run, but the
high-intensity interval training performed during the
taper correlated with changes in circulating total
testosterone concentration, whereas a high volume
of low-intensity continuous running was associated
with higher plasma creatine kinase levels and lowered
total testosterone. Therefore, high-intensity training
during the taper may promote anabolic processes
that facilitate recovery.
Bosquet et al. (2007) performed a meta-analysis to
quantify the performance eects of altering compo-
nents of the taper in competitive athletes. Out of 182
potential studies, 27 met the criteria established by the
authors for inclusion in their meta-analysis: partici-
pants had to be competitive athletes, sucient detail
regarding the procedures used to decrease the training
load was required, performance had to be assessed
either in competition or using eld-based tests and all
necessary data to calculate eect sizes had to be
reported. The dependent variable analyzed was the
performance change during the taper, whereas the
independent variables included reductions in training
frequency, volume and intensity. The overall eect size
for taper-induced changes in performance when train-
ing intensity was reduced was 0.02 (95% CI 0.37,
0.33), in contrast with a 0.33 (0.19, 0.47) improvement
when intensity was maintained or increased. In a
separate analysis on the eects of moderator variables
on taper-induced performance changes in dierent
modes of locomotion, substantial small-to-moderate
improvements were only achieved when training in-
tensity was not decreased during the taper in swim-
ming [0.28 (0.08, 0.47)], running [0.37 (0.09, 0.66)] and
cycling [0.68 (0.09, 1.27)]. In summary, the training
load should not be reduced at the expense of training
intensity during a taper, whatever the mode of loco-
motion (Bosquet et al., 2007).
The above-mentioned studies highlight the key
role of training intensity during the taper. With
regard to training volume, several investigations
have shown that this training component can be
markedly reduced without a risk of losing training-
induced adaptations or hampering performance. For
instance, Hickson et al. (1982) reported that subjects
Mujika
26
trained in either cycling or treadmill running for 10
weeks retained most of their physiological and en-
durance performance adaptations during 15 subse-
quent weeks of reduced training, during which the
volume of the sessions was diminished by as much as
two-thirds. Studying highly trained middle-distance
runners, both Shepley et al. (1992) and Mujika et al.
(2000) reported better physiological and performance
outcomes with low-volume than with moderate-vo-
lume tapers. Bosquet et al. (2007) determined through
their meta-analysis that performance improvement
during the taper was highly sensitive to the reduction
in training volume. These authors determined that
maximal performance gains are obtained with a total
reduction in training volume of 4160% of pre-taper
value, and that such a reduction should be achieved by
decreasing the duration of the training sessions, rather
than decreasing the frequency of training (Fig. 1).
In summary, management of training intensity is key
during the tapering phase of an individual sport-train-
ing program (Fig. 2). A taper characterized by reduced
training could otherwise lead to a loss of training-
induced adaptations and suboptimal performance.
Intense training in team sports
High-intensity exercise training is a crucial compo-
nent of competition performance in team sports such
as association football, rugby, eld and ice hockey
and basketball. In football, for instance, sprints,
accelerations, rapid changes of direction and max-
imal jumps are game activities repeatedly performed
at maximal or near maximal intensity to win an edge
over opposing players and possession of the ball
(Mohr et al., 2003). The amount of high-intensity
exercise during match play in top-level professional
football teams is partly determined by the playing
position in relation to ball interaction, previous
activity in the game, physical activity pattern dis-
played by the opposing team and their competitive
level, as well as the overall technical and tactical
eectiveness of the team (Rampinini et al., 2007; Di
Salvo et al., 2009). Nevertheless, intense exercise
remains a critical component of team sport perfor-
mance, and optimizing players ability to perform
this type of eort should be a priority.
Dupont et al. (2004) were among the rst to
evaluate the eects of in-season high-intensity train-
ing on the running performance of professional male
football players. Following a 10-week control period,
two weekly high-intensity training sessions were
integrated in the teams usual training for 10 weeks.
High-intensity training consisted of intermittent runs
of 1215 s at 120% of maximal aerobic velocity
interspersed with 15-s rest, and 1215 maximal
40 m sprints with 30-s recovery. The intervention
O
v
e
r
a
l
l

E
f
f
e
c
t

S
i
z
e
Decrement in Training Volume (%)
20% or less 61% or more 41% to 60% 21% to 40%
1.0
1.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
0.2
0.0
0.2
0.6
0.4
Fig. 1. Doseresponse curve for the eect of percent decre-
ment in training volume during the taper on performance.
The magnitude of the dierence (eect size) was considered
either small (0.2), moderate (0.5) or large (0.8). Values are
means and 95% condence intervals. Reprinted by permis-
sion from Bosquet et al. (2007).
Intense Training
Individual Sports Team Sports
Normal Training Tapering Tapering Normal Training
Fig. 2. Physiological and performance changes elicited by intense exercise during normal training and tapering in individual
and team sports.
Intense training and tapering
27
brought about an 8.1% improvement in maximal
aerobic velocity and a 3.5% gain in 40 m sprint time.
Although it is not entirely appropriate to directly link
individual players physical performance to a teams
football performance, the team won 33% of its
games during the 10-week control period preceding
the intervention, and 78% during the high-intensity
training phase.
In line with the above study, Impellizzeri et al.
(2006) carried out a training intervention on junior
football players to assess the eects of specic (small-
sided games) and generic (running) high-intensity
training on physical tness and objective measures of
match performance. Both training groups performed
twice a week for 8 weeks four bouts of 4min at 90
95% HR
max
with 3min active rest periods. After
the intervention, markers of aerobic tness such as
VO
2max
, lactate threshold and running economy at the
lactate threshold increased, respectively, by 7%, 10%
and 2%. Most importantly, the total distance covered
during match play increased by 6% after the interven-
tion, and the time spent performing high-intensity
activities increased by 18%. Ferrari Bravo et al.
(2008) also evaluated the eect of 7 weeks of twice
per week high-intensity aerobic interval training (4 by
4-min running at 9095% of HR
max
) and repeated-
sprint ability training (3 by 6 maximal 40 m shuttle
sprints) on aerobic and anaerobic physiological vari-
ables in football players. Although both training
interventions induced similar 6% and 3% gains in
VO
2max
and the ventilatory threshold, repeated-sprint
ability training elicited larger improvements in the Yo-
Yo Intermittent Recovery test, and only this training
intervention resulted in performance gains in repeated-
sprint ability.
Mujika et al. (2007) published a case study on a
youth elite football player who had been under-
performing for several months. The player completed
a high-intensity individualized training program for 7
weeks, characterized by seven sessions of 4 by 4-min
cycling and running repetitions at 90% of HR
max
,
followed by three sessions of 3 by 45 s of all out
running. This program was implemented during
normal team training time, but the player partici-
pated in the remaining team activities after comple-
tion of each individualized session. The high-
intensity training intervention represented 9.5% of
the total training time. An overall improvement in
the players Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test per-
formance of 32% could have facilitated a greater
involvement of the player in other training activities.
The improved physical tness could also have facili-
tated gains in psychological factors such as con-
dence, which could further translate into objective
and subjective match performance enhancements.
Taken together, these studies indicate that high-
intensity activity is often a performance-determining
factor during match play in a team sport setting.
Moreover, research evidence shows that pre-season
and in-season high-intensity training can elicit sub-
stantial gains in markers of aerobic tness in already
highly trained players, which can have a positive
impact on competitive performance (Fig. 2).
Intense training and tapering in team sports
Appropriate planning of training intensity is extre-
mely important for team sport athletes because they
usually need to perform at a high level every week for
several months. In team sports, however, it is not
always possible to include a taper phase in the annual
training program. Nevertheless, a training taper at
the end of the pre-season could help a team peak and
complete a league format competitive season in the
best possible condition. Moreover, a taper could also
be a suitable strategy for a team to optimally prepare
for major international tournaments (Mujika, 2007).
A periodized conditioning program in the pre-season
to optimize team players physical capacities at the
onset of the competitive season should follow the same
strategies recommended for individual sport athletes.
Coutts et al. (2007) examined the inuence of deliberate
pre-season overreaching and tapering on muscle
strength, power, endurance and selected biochemical
responses in semi-professional rugby league players.
The athletes completed 6 weeks of progressive overload
training with limited recovery periods, followed by a
7-day progressive taper, during which training time
was reduced by 55% and training intensity by 17%.
Following the overload period, multistage tness test
running performance was reduced by 12.3%, and most
other strength, power and speed performance measures
tended to decrease (range 13.8% to 3.7%).
Changes were also observed in selected biochemical
markers such as plasma testosterone to cortisol ratio,
creatine kinase, glutamate and glutamine to glutamate
ratio. After the taper, an increase in peak hamstring
torque and isokinetic work was observed, as well as
increases in the multistage tness test, vertical jump, 3-
RM squat, 3-RM bench press, chin-up and 10m sprint
performance. All biochemical markers tended to return
to baseline values. After inducing a state of overreach-
ing, a subsequent progressive taper may facilitate
supercompensation in muscular strength, power and
endurance, likely due to increased anabolism and
reduced muscle damage (Coutts et al., 2007).
Repeated-sprint ability, which is a basic perfor-
mance requirement for most team sports, can also be
enhanced through periodized training and tapering.
Bishop and Edge (2005) investigated the eects of a
10-day taper subsequent to 6 weeks of intense train-
ing on repeated-sprint performance in recreational
level team-sport female athletes. Subjects were tested
Mujika
28
for repeated-sprint ability (5 6 s all-out cycling
sprints every 30 s) before and after the tapering
period. The 10-day taper resulted in increased total
work (4.4%; P50.16) and peak power (3.2%;
P50.18), and a reduced work decrement
(10.2 3.5% vs 7.9 4.3%; Po0.05). It appears
that tapering from high-intensity training is a strat-
egy for promoting improved repeated-sprint ability
in team sports, and subjects could attain perfor-
mance gains if they maintain or increase training
intensity during the taper.
Bangsbo et al. (2006) described the preparation
program of the Danish National football team
for the 2004 European Championship. At the end
of the club season, the players rested for 12 weeks
before preparing for the championship. The prepara-
tion lasted 18 days divided in two 9-day phases.
The amount of high-intensity exercise was similar
in both phases (i.e. training intensity was main-
tained), while the total amount of training was
reduced in the second phase (i.e. training volume
was tapered). Anecdotally, the team qualied for the
quarternals of the tournament, beating Italy and
Bulgaria along the way. Given large individual
dierences among players in the amount of high-
intensity work performed during the tactical compo-
nents of the training sessions, a careful evaluation of
individual physical training load is essential, even
during training time not specically dedicated to
tness development.
Ferret and Cotte (2003) reported on the prepara-
tion of the French National football team in the lead-
up to the World Cups of 1998 and 2002. In 1998, the
team focused on developing the athletic qualities of
the players through two training phases followed by
a 2-week tapering phase. The taper was characterized
by high-intensity training situations (friendly games)
and a moderate training volume that allowed the
elimination of the negative eects of training (fati-
gue) while maintaining the adaptations previously
achieved. Following this training and peaking plan
was a World Cup victory. Four years later, an almost
identical group of players was eliminated after a
qualifying round without a single victory or goal
scored. All players were only available to the na-
tional team 8 days before the beginning of competi-
tion, and medical and biochemical markers indicated
that most players were too severely fatigued for the
technical sta to implement a development training
phase followed by a taper to peak the physical
qualities of the players.
The importance of training intensity established
in individual athletes also applies in the case of team
athletes (Fig. 2). The relevant research studies
indicate that a pre-tournament taper should be
characterized by low-training volume and high-
intensity activities.
Event intensity, multiple peaking and the taper
The duration of each particular sport or action within a
sport determines its intensity and metabolic demands.
Whether optimal tapering strategies vary depending on
the demands of an athletic event and/or the physiolo-
gical characteristics of the athletes taking part in that
event has not been clearly established, but the available
data suggest this not to be the case. Indeed, as can be
seen in Fig. 2, an ecient taper induces physiological
adaptations that simultaneously benet aerobic and
anaerobic power production. Taper-induced cardiore-
spiratory, metabolic, hormonal and neuromuscular
changes are associated with similar performance gains
in athletic events ranging from a few seconds to over an
hour (Mujika et al., 2004). Moreover, no evidence is
available to suggest that the intensity of an athletic
event will determine the optimal duration of a taper.
Bosquet et al. (2007) described a doseresponse rela-
tionship between the duration of the taper and the
performance improvement. Durations ranging from 8
to 14 days represented the borderline between fatigue
disappearance and detraining. However, tapers lasting
14 weeks can also induce performance improvements,
although negative results may be experienced by some
athletes. The inter-individual variability in the optimal
taper duration was not attributed to specic event
intensity or an athletes physiological characteristics.
Unfortunately, no study has examined the taper in
the context of multiple peaking. In many individual
sports, international competition involves a series of
qualifying rounds and/or stages over several days.
Most team sports competitions involve one or more
games per week over a season lasting several months.
Because of the lack of research in the area of multiple
peaking, it is not known how often an athlete or team
can obtain the performance benets of an ecient
taper, and it is not possible to make sound recom-
mendations in this respect (Pyne et al., 2009).
Consensus statements
(1) There is strong evidence indicating that high-inten-
sity training is associated with maximal physiological
and performance adaptations during periods of inten-
sive training in highly trained individual sport athletes.
(2) There is strong evidence indicating that training
intensity is key to maintain and enhance physiological
and performance adaptations during the taper, and
hence the training load should not be reduced at the
expense of intensity.
(3) Intense exercise is a critical component of team
sport performance, and there is strong evidence to
suggest that the optimization of the players ability to
perform this type of eort should be a priority.
(4) Limited available research suggests that team sport
athletes could benet from a high-intensity tapering
Intense training and tapering
29
program to optimally prepare for the regular season
and tournament style competition.
(5) The limited research available suggests that opti-
mal tapering strategies do not depend on the intensity
of an athletic event or the physiological characteristics
of the athletes taking part in that event.
Key words: intensity, recovery, reduced training,
team-sports.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to acknowledge the excellent comments
and suggestions provided by Prof. David Pyne of the Depart-
ment of Physiology, Australian Institute of Sport; Dr. Paul
Laursen of the New Zealand Academy of Sport and Dr.
Marcello Iaia of Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences,
University of Copenhagen.
Conicts of interest: The author has no potential conicts of
interest.
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