Increases in maximal accumulated oxygen deficit after high-intensity interval training are not gender dependent

Abstract

Gender differences in maximal accumulated oxygen deficit (MAOD) were examined before and after 4 and 8 wk of high-intensity interval training. Untrained men (n = 7) and women (n = 7) cycled at 120% of pretraining peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) to exhaustion (MAOD test) pre-, mid-, and posttraining. A posttraining timed test was also completed at the MAOD test power output, but this test was stopped at the time to exhaustion achieved during the pretraining MAOD test. The 14.3 +/- 5.2% increase in MAOD observed in men after 4 wk of training was not different from the 14.0 +/- 3.0% increase seen in women (P > 0.05). MAOD increased by a further 6.6 +/- 1.9% in men, and this change was not different from the additional 5.1 +/- 2.3% increase observed in women after the final 4 wk of training. VO2 peak measured during incremental cycling increased significantly (P < 0.01) in male but not in female subjects after 8 wk of training. Moreover, the accumulated oxygen (AO2) uptake was higher in men during the posttraining timed test compared with the pretraining MAOD test (P < 0.01). In contrast, the AO2 uptake was unchanged from pre- to posttraining in female subjects. The increase in MAOD with training was not different between men and women, suggesting an enhanced ability to produce ATP anaerobically in both groups. However, the increase in VO2 peak and AO2 uptake obtained in male subjects after training indicates improved oxidative metabolism in men but not in women. We conclude that there are basic gender differences that may predispose men and women to specific metabolic adaptations after a period of intense interval training.