Abstract
PurposeThe aim of this study was to test the effects of sprint interval training (SIT) on cardiorespiratory fitness and aerobic performance measures in young females.MethodsEight healthy, untrained females (age 21 ± 1 years; height 165 ± 5 cm; body mass 63 ± 6 kg) completed cycling peak oxygen uptake ( dot{V}{text{O}}_{2} peak), 10-km cycling time trial (TT) and critical power (CP) tests pre- and post-SIT. SIT protocol included 4 × 30-s “all-out” cycling efforts against 7 % body mass interspersed with 4 min of active recovery performed twice per week for 4 weeks (eight sessions in total).ResultsThere was no significant difference in dot{V}{text{O}}_{2} peak following SIT compared to the control period (control period: 31.7 ± 3.0 ml kg−1 min−1; post-SIT: 30.9 ± 4.5 ml kg−1 min−1; p > 0.05), but SIT significantly improved time to exhaustion (TTE) (control period: 710 ± 101 s; post-SIT: 798 ± 127 s; p = 0.00), 10-km cycling TT (control period: 1055 ± 129 s; post-SIT: 997 ± 110 s; p = 0.004) and CP (control period: 1.8 ± 0.3 W kg−1; post-SIT: 2.3 ± 0.6 W kg−1; p = 0.01).ConclusionsThese results demonstrate that young untrained females are responsive to SIT as measured by TTE, 10-km cycling TT and CP tests. However, eight sessions of SIT over 4 weeks are not enough to provide sufficient training stimulus to increase dot{V}{text{O}}_{2} peak.
Highlights
Low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIT) is a timeefficient training paradigm involving repeated bursts of ‘‘allout’’ efforts followed by a period of passive or active rest [1]
There was no significant difference in V_O2 peak following sprint interval training (SIT) compared to the control period, but SIT significantly improved time to exhaustion (TTE), 10-km cycling time trial (TT) and critical power (CP)
Following 4 weeks of SIT, TTE performance was significantly improved by 12 ± 4 %
Summary
Low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIT) is a timeefficient training paradigm involving repeated bursts of ‘‘allout’’ efforts followed by a period of passive or active rest [1]. Sprint interval training (SIT), in the form of 30-s repeated Wingate tests performed 4–6 times with *4 min of recovery, is a commonly used HIT modality [2]. It has been suggested that females may not be as responsive to SIT as males [8]. This could be attributed to differences in the adaptive responses. Compared to males, the glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) levels are significantly lower in females following SIT [10]. A greater mitochondrial biogenesis during SIT was reported in males compared to females [11]
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