The effects of recreational sport on VO2peak, VO2 kinetics and submaximal exercise performance in males and females

Aerobic capacity and respiratory patterns are better in recreational basketball-engaged university students than age-matched untrained males

Study aim: To asses and compare the aerobic capacity and respiratory parameters in recreational basketball-engaged university students with age-matched untrained young adults.

Material and methods: A total of 30 subjects were selected to took part in the study based on recreational-basketball activity level and were assigned to a basketball (BG: n = 15, age 22.86 ± 1.35 yrs., body height 185.07 ± 5.95 cm, body weight 81.21 ± 6.15 kg) and untrained group (UG: n = 15, age 22.60 ± 1.50 yrs., body height 181.53 ± 6.11 cm, body weight 76.89 ± 7.30 kg). Inspiratory vital capacity (IVC), forced expiration volume (FEV1), FEV1/IVC ratio, maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), ventilatory threshold (VO2VT) and time to exhaustion, were measured in all subjects. Student T-test for independent Sample and Cohen’s d as the measure of the effect size were calculated.

Results: Recreational basketball-engaged students (EG) reached significantly greater IVC (t = 7.240, p < 0.001, d = 1.854), FEV1 (t = 10.852, p < 0.001, d = 2.834), FEV1/IVC ratio (t = 6.370, p < 0.001, d = 3.920), maximal oxygen consumption (t = 9.039, p < 0.001, d = 3.310), ventilatory threshold (t = 9.859, p < 0.001, d = 3.607) and time to exhaustion (t = 12.361, p < 0.001, d = 4.515) compared to UG.

Conclusions: Long-term exposure to recreational basketball leads to adaptive changes in aerobic and respiratory parameters in male university students.

Evaluation of Seasonal Changes in Fitness, Anthropometrics, and Body Composition in Collegiate Division II Female Soccer Players

Peart, AN, Nicks, CR, Mangum, M, and Tyo, BM. Evaluation of seasonal changes in fitness, anthropometrics, and body composition in collegiate division II female soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 32(7): 2010-2017, 2018-The purpose of this study was to investigate anthropometrics, body composition, aerobic and anaerobic fitness of collegiate Division II female soccer players throughout a calendar year. Eighteen (20 ± 0.9 years) National Collegiate Athletics Association division II female soccer players from the same team participated in the study. Anthropometrics and body composition variables were assessed in addition to the counter movement jump (CMJ), Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAT), and peak oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak). Data were collected over 5 time points: end of competitive seasons (ECS1 and ECS2), beginning of off-season (BOS), end of off-season (EOS), and preseason (PS). Repeated-measures analysis of variance was conducted to compare test scores among all 5 data collection points. Where appropriate, Bonferroni post hoc tests were used to determine which points were significantly different. Hip circumference decreased significantly (p < 0.001) from EOS (98.47 ± 6.5 cm) to PS (94.46 ± 6.8 cm). Fat mass (12.73 ± 5.4 kg) was significantly different in ECS2 compared with BOS and EOS means (p ≤ 0.05) and percentage of body fat (%BF) (20.08 ± 5.44) significantly different in ECS2 compared with ECS1, BOS, and EOS means (p ≤ 0.05), whereas fat-free mass (FFM) was maintained from ECS1 to ECS2. Counter movement jump, WAT, and V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak performance did not significantly change from ECS1 to ECS2. Anthropometrics and body composition results are similar to previous studies measuring Division II to professional female soccer players. Counter movement jump results remained consistent and are comparable to results on Division I female soccer players. Coaches and researchers can use these data to help design and evaluate training programs throughout a calendar year.

Physiological differences between a noncontinuous and a continuous endurance training protocol in recreational runners and metabolic demand prediction

This study investigated the physiological difference in recreational runners between a noncontinuous and a continuous endurance training protocol. It also aimed to determine physiological surrogate that could monitor metabolic demand of prolonged running in real‐time. For data collection, a total of 18 active male recreational runners were recruited. Physiological (HR, RR, RER, ṼO₂, BLa), and overall perceptual (RPE_O) responses were recorded against three designed test sessions. Session 1 included ṼO_2submax test to determine critical speed (CS) at anaerobic threshold (AT). Session 2 was the noncontinuous CS test until exhaustion, having 4:1 min work‐to‐rest ratio at CS, whereas session 3 was the continuous CS test till exhaustion. As 1‐min recovery during session 2 may change fatigue behavior, it was hypothesized that it will significantly change the physiological stress and hence endurance outcomes. Results reported average time to exhaustion (TTE) was 37.33(9.8) mins for session 2 and 23.28(9.87) mins for session 3. Participants experienced relatively higher metabolic demand (BLa) 6.78(1.43) mmol.l⁻¹ in session 3 as compared to session 2 (5.52(0.93) mmol.l⁻¹). RER was observed to increase in session 3 and decrease in session 2. Student's paired t‐test only reported a significant difference in TTE, ṼO₂, RER, RPE_O, and BLa at “End” between session 2 and 3. Reported difference in RPE_O and %HR_max at “AT” were 5 (2.2) and 89.8 (2.60)% during session 2 and 6 (2.5) and 89.8 (2.59)% during session 3, respectively. Regression analysis reported strong correlation of %HR_max (adj. R‐square = 0.588) with BLa than RPE_O (adj. R‐square = 0.541). The summary of findings suggests that decreasing RER increased TTE and reduced BLa toward “End” during session 2 which might have helped to have better endurance. The %HR_max was identified to be used as a better noninvasive surrogate of endurance intensity estimator.

The impact of work-matched interval training on V̇O2peak and V̇O2 kinetics: diminishing returns with increasing intensity

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) improves peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak) and oxygen uptake (V̇O2) kinetics, however, it is unknown whether an optimal intensity of HIIT exists for eliciting improvements in these measures of whole-body oxidative metabolism. The purpose of this study was to (i) investigate the effect of interval intensity on training-induced adaptations in V̇O2peak and V̇O2 kinetics, and (ii) examine the impact of interval intensity on the frequency of nonresponders in V̇O2peak. Thirty-six healthy men and women completed 3 weeks of cycle ergometer HIIT, consisting of intervals targeting 80% (LO), 115% (MID), or 150% (HI) of peak aerobic power. Total work performed per training session was matched across groups. A main effect of training (p < 0.05) and a significant interaction effect was observed for V̇O2peak, with the change in V̇O2peak being greater (p < 0.05) in the MID group than the LO group; however, no differences were observed between the HI group and either the MID or LO groups (ΔV̇O2peak; LO, 2.7 ± 0.7 mL·kg–1·min–1; MID, 5.8 ± 0.7; HI, 4.2 ± 1.0). The greatest proportion of responders was observed in the MID group (LO, 8/12; MID, 12/13; HI, 9/11). A nonsignificant relationship (p = 0.26; r2 = 0.04) was found between the changes in V̇O2peak and τV̇O2. These results suggest that training at intensities around V̇O2peak may represent a threshold intensity above which further increases in training intensity provide no additional adaptive benefit. The dissociation between changes in V̇O2peak and V̇O2 kinetics also reflects the different underlying mechanisms regulating these adaptations.

Incidence of nonresponse and individual patterns of response following sprint interval training

The current study sought to explore the incidence of nonresponders for maximal or submaximal performance following a variety of sprint interval training (SIT) protocols. Data from 63 young adults from 5 previously published studies were utilized in the current analysis. Nonresponders were identified using 2 times the typical error (TE) of measurement for peak oxygen uptake (2 × TE = 1.74 mL/(kg·min)), lactate threshold (2 × TE = 15.7 W), or 500 kcal time-to-completion (TTC; 2 × TE = 306 s) trial. TE was determined on separate groups of participants by calculating the test–retest variance for each outcome. The overall rate of nonresponders for peak oxygen uptake across all participants studied was 22% (14/63) with 4 adverse responders observed. No nonresponders for peak oxygen uptake were observed in studies where participants trained 4 times per week (n = 18), while higher rates were observed in most studies requiring training 3 times per week (30%–50%; n = 45). A nonresponse rate of 44% (8/18) and 50% (11/22) was observed for the TTC test and lactate threshold, respectively. No significant correlations were observed between the changes in peak oxygen uptake and TTC (r = 0.014; p = 0.96) or lactate threshold (r = 0.17; p = 0.44). The current analysis demonstrates a significant incidence of nonresponders for peak oxygen uptake and heterogeneity in the individual patterns of response following SIT. Additionally, these data support the importance of training dose and suggest that the incidence of nonresponse may be mitigated by utilizing the optimal dose of SIT.