Decremental Exercise: a New Training Approach?

Inclusion Criteria: * Age: 18-40 years * Healthy, i.e. normal physical and mental status (not taking any medication on a regular basis for more than a month, except contraceptive medication) * Normal Body-Mass-Index (BMI): 18.5-24.9 kg·m-2 * Well-trained athletes: V̇O2max \> 55.1 ml·min-1·kg-1 for men and \> 50.1 ml·min-1·kg-1 for women * Normal lung function * Non-smoking * Willing to adhere to the general study rules Exclusion Criteria: * Women who are pregnant or breast feeding * Intention to become pregnant during the course of the study * Known or suspected non-compliance, drug or alcohol abuse * Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g. due to language problems, psychological disorders, dementia, etc. of the participant * Previous enrolment into the same part (A or B) of the current study * Enrolment of the investigator, his/her family members, employees and other dependent persons * Acute or chronic illness * Intake of medications affecting performance or the respiratory, cardiovascular or neuromuscular system * Insufficient training history (\<3 yrs of participation in competitive cycling/running) or training volume (\<40 km running/week or 150 km cycling/week) in the previous 6 months * Recent (\<3 months) history of orthopaedic injury or participation in structured high-intensity training blocks