The Lithuanian modern pentathlon athletes won silver and bronze medals in Beijing Olympic Games. The training technologies of these athletes and the change in their physical functional capacities have been investigated for a long period already. This has allowed for an objective assessment of adaptive changes in the athletes’ organism and for a comparison of their physical and functional capacities during the two fouryear Olympic cycles. The goal of the research was to analyse the structure and content of the four year Olympic cycle ‘Beijing-2008’, to investigate and evaluate the change in the physical and functional capacities of Lithuanian national pentathlon team members during the analysed period and to compare the indices with the analogous research results obtained before the Olympic Games in Athens. The sample of the research included two members of Lithuanian Olympic pentathlon team members who trained for the Olympic Games following the programme ‘Beijing-2008’. A number of capacity indices were measured and the training load of pentathletes and their training time input were analysed. The research revealed a stabilisation in the body mass of the both athletes over the four-year Olympic cycle and an upward tendency in the pentathletes’ muscle mass. During the Olympic cycle, the muscular power during short-time work remained stable. The athletes achieved and maintained a very high aerobic capacity throughout the entire four-year Olympic cycle. It was extremely high in the last year of the cycle and allowed the athletes to demonstrate good results in the running event, which was crucial in the fight for the medals. The research results show that the pentathletes’ physical fitness and functional capacity are still in progress, which forecast sufficient physical and functional capacity of these Lithuanian pentathlon athletes to strive for high performance in the London Olympic Games.

In 2009, for separate pentathlon events time allocation varied from 10,0 to 32,0 percent of general training session time, while in 2010 this difference decreased from 10,0 to 26,9 percent. Physical development indices of the athlete had come into constant position throughout four year period and became characteristic to elite pentathlon athletes’ physical body development indices model characteristics. Muscle capacity of the investigated athlete while performing short-lasting work tests is of average level; improving such feature could lead to better results in fencing, shooting and riding. Functional capacity of the athlete’s cardio-vascular system is the strongest point within the system of her physical and functional capacities, which allows her to cover less successful performance results in fencing and shooting.

Lithuanian national team road cyclist who had been training under the program “Beijing-2008” had been tested and data analysed. Athlete’s physical load during yearly cycle and time for practical training were researched, alternation of particular physical development, physical and functional capacity indices was established as well. The research revealed that cyclist’s physical load volume answers minimal norms recommended for highperformance cyclists. Cyclist’s physical development indices fluctuated minimally but general body mass, muscle and fat mass as competitions period came nearer had a tendency to decrease in contrast to muscle power in different energy producing zones, which, counting from the beginning of training period, had a tendency to grow. Aerobic capacity of the cyclist at the limit of critical intensity and at the limit of anaerobic metabolism threshold, counting from the beginning of training period, increased as well. Lithuanian cyclist’s I. K. results in Beijing Olympic Games (29th place) and in World road cycling championship (34th place) are evaluated as satisfactory.

Cycling is one of the most popular means of physical activity among people of all ages, from children to seniors. At the same time, it appears to be a very popular competitive sport, also remaining one of the most complex sports in its content, where athletes are required to employ the whole set of their abilities. Excellence of road cyclists is mostly dependent on aerobic and anaerobic endurance and muscle power in various energy zones. Most of the cyclists’ results are determined by consistent workout planning during the annual training cycle, which is a complex pedagogical process including various structural, physiological, mental and adaptive processes taking place in athlete’s body. Thus, high requirements for training program accuracy are raised, aiming to ensure proper training of functional and physical capacities of an athlete. Road cyclists are characterized by high aerobic capabilities – high maximal oxygen uptake VO2 max and the ability to maintain it for a long time. VO2 max determines the athlete’s ability to maintain speed in the distance and to carry out great aerobic training volume. A review of a number of scientific publications on the training of elite cyclists, as well as observation of the change of these athletes’ physical and functional capacity during annual training cycle reveals that most articles focus on one certain aspect of training. Although our research includes the ones having focused on road cyclists training, there is still a lack of research to address the issue of high-performance cyclists’ training in Lithuania. The aim of the study is to summarize the preparation of the Lithuanian cyclist I. K. for the World Championship during his annual training cycle, as well as to carry out monitoring of the issues of his training, physical and functional capacity. Study organization and methods.[...]

During the yearly training cycle, starting from preparatory period beginning and up to the competitive period, maximal and mean absolute and relative anaerobic alactic muscle capacity experienced an equal increase: 9.3 percent for S.R., 9.3 percent for R.M., the relative capacity – respectively 8.7 percent and 9.1 percent, while mean working capacity of the athletes in 10 sec duration work used to increase respectively: 9.4 and 8.8 percent for S.R., and 9.2 and 9.0 percent for R.M., which influenced paddle capacity. The training load, applied during yearly training cycle, was of positive influence on the change of aerobic capacity indices at ATL and CIL. The level of those indices is in correspondence with the strongest world rowers’ level indicated in literature sources. The indices of the both athletes’ body and functional capacities during yearly training cycle became very similar in parameters due to applied training load and character of competitions. This is a desirable phenomenon in double sculls rowing sport, as the victory of event is determined by equal high physical capacities possessed by both rowers.

The training volume of the investigated Lithuanian elite double sculling rowers in the third year of Olympic cycle was less, comparing to the volume of the previous years. It had appropriate distribution into different zones of intensity and proper decrease when approaching the main competitions. The named factors were of influence for the high results achievement in international competitions. Lithuanian double sculling rowers became the European champions and won the 4th place in the World Championship with little difference from the prize winners. Maximal and average absolute and relative anaerobic alactic muscle power of our investigated athletes had a tendency to increase from the beginning till the end of the preparatory period. In the season of 2013–2014, these indices had a greater value comparing to the earlier season results. Aerobic capacity indices at CIL and ATL were of uneven change: results of VO2 max were of less value, while no considerable changes were established in lung ventilation results. The working power of the performed work within these intensity limits during the final stage of preparation was greater. Aerobic capacity level of our investigated athletes corresponds to the level of the strongest rowers’ aerobic capacity indices, found in literature sources. Physical and functional capacities indices of the both athletes remain rather similar due to applied training load and particularity of the competitions during yearly training cycle. This is a desirable phenomenon in double scull rowing, as great and equivalent capacities of both rowers are the factor for success.

Straipsnyje nagrinėjamas Lietuvos porinės dvivietės irkluotojų motetų rengimo olimpiniu ciklu valdymas, analizuojami atlikto fizinio krūvio, organizmo adaptacijos rodikliai per keturmetį pasirengimo ciklą Sidnėjaus olimpinėms žaidynėms, kuriose ši irkluotojų įgula iškovojo bronzos medalius. Buvo analizuojamas irkluotojų paskutinių olimpinio ciklo metų organizacinių priemonių koordinacinis planas, tyrinėja ma fizinių krūvių struktūra, lyginami sportininkių fizinio išsivystymo, psichofiziologinių funkcijų, fizinio darbingumo įvairiose energijos gamybos zonose, kraujotakos ir kvėpavimo sistemų funkcinio pajėgumo rodikliai, jų kitimas. Be šių rodiklių, ypač svarbią informacije-apie sportininkių organizmo adaptaciją teikė anaerobinės apykaitos slenksčio ir kritinės intensyvumo ribos nustatymas. Sis kompleksinis sportininkių organizmo funkcinės būklės vertinimas leido tinkamai valdyti rengimo vyksmą, padėti kasmet gerinti sportinius rezultatus, o baigiamuoju rengimo etapu iškovoti antrąją vietą Pasaulio taurės irklavimo varžybose bei trečiąją vietą olimpinėse žaidynėse.