Sympathoadrenergic regulation in elite fencers in training and competition

In ten fencers at the top national level the adrenergic regulation was investigated by determining the free and sulfoconjugated catecholamines (CA) in a training fight and a competition for the national championship to evaluate the influence of emotional strain in this discipline. In the training fight which is physically more strenuous, norepinephrine (NE) was significantly higher (+27%) than in the championship contest after which the epinephrine (EPI) level was more increased (+76.5%). Accordingly, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) was higher during competition and correlated with EPI. The share of the sulfated CA in their total amount was reduced in both loads. Since energy production in fencing is predominantly alactacitic during maximal loads of short duration and aerobic during submaximal load intensities, the lactate level in the training fight was below the anaerobic/aerobic threshold. The significantly higher lactate, glucose, and alanine levels during the fight for the national championship, presumably induced by the additional stimulation of the anaerobic muscular and hepatic glycogenolysis as well as muscular glycolysis, may be accounted to the fortified EPI secretion caused by emotional strain. The higher cortisol and renin levels may be explained by the strong central stimulation and the direct peripheral effect of EPI respectively.