Abstract
This study has measured the pattern of elevated serum enzyme activity (ESEA) during extended daily training in a dose-response manner and compared ESEA to the pattern of accumulated fitness and fatigue predicted from a mathematical model previously described. Blood samples were taken regularly during the study from each subject and the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the serum was measured. Although no single physiological/biochemical correlate of the hypothesized fatigue compart-ment of performance is firmly identified it is significant that the pattern of variation of model fatigue and ESEA throughout training were similar although slightly out of phase. With continued hard training, model fatigue began to plateau and concomitantly ESEA declined exponentially from its initial high value in early training. During relative rest throughout a tapering period following training both ESEA and fatigue reverted quickly towards baseline and follow the similar but earlier time course in blood of a degradative membrane enzyme phospholipase A2 observed in clinical studies.
