Original Research
The relationships between aerobic fitness, power maintenance and oxygen consumption during intense intermittent exercise

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1440-2440(02)80004-4Get rights and content

This study examined the relationships between VO2max, power maintenance and oxygen consumption during intense intermittent work. Female recreational soccer players were assigned to either a low aerobic power group (LOW, n=6, mean (SD) VO2max = 34.4 (2.4) mL·kg−1·min−1) or to a moderate aerobic power group (MOD, n=7, VO2max = 47.6 (3.8) mL·kg−1·min−1). VO2 was measured while subjects performed 10 6-s all-out sprints (30-s passive recovery) on a Monark cycle ergometer. LOW and MOD subjects generated similar peak 6-s power (p = .58) but MOD had a smaller decrement in power (% DO) over the 10 sprints (LOW vs MOD: 18.0 (7.6) vs 8.8 (3.7) % DO, p=.02). The MOD group also consumed significantly more oxygen than LOW in 9 of the 10 sprint-recovery cycles (p <.05). Significant relationships were seen between VO2max and the aerobic response to the sprint-recovery series (r= .78, p=.002) as well as between VO2max and % DO (r= −.65, p=.02), while a nonsignificant relationship was seen between the oxygen consumed during the sprint-recovery cycles and % DO (r= −.41, p=.16). Thus, VO2max appears to be related to both an increased aerobic contribution to sprint-recovery bouts and the enhanced ability of the MOD group to resist fatigue during intense intermittent exercise.

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