The influence of short-term endurance training on maximum oxygen uptake, submaximum endurance and the ability to perform brief, maximal exercise.

Abstract

The hypothesis that endurance training impairs sprinting ability was examined. Eight male subjects undertook a 30-s sprint test on a cycle ergometer before and after 6 weeks of cycling training for endurance. Maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) and submaximum endurance were determined to evaluate the influence of the training regimen on endurance performance. Endurance was defined as the time to exhaustion at a relative exercise intensity of 85% VO2 max. Maximum oxygen uptake was increased by 18% post-training (3.29 +/- 0.29 1 min-1 versus 3.89 +/- 0.49 1 min-1; P less than 0.01), but endurance at the same absolute work rate as pre-training was increased by more than 200% (32.2 +/- 11.4 min versus 97.8 +/- 27.3 min; P less than 0.01). These improvements were accompanied by changes in the cardiovascular and metabolic responses to standard, submaximum exercise. Despite the improvements in endurance, neither performance during the cycle sprint test nor the increase in blood lactate concentration during the sprint was influenced by endurance training. For short-term cycling training, these findings reinforce the concept of training specificity whilst demonstrating that decrements in sprint performance are not a necessary consequence of improved endurance.