Tolerance to high-intensity intermittent running exercise do
oxygen kinetics really matter?
College Biology 1 Laboratory
BIOL 1615
Colter McKenzie
Nov/08/2013
The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the acute physiological effects of high
intensity intermittent (HIT) training and determine if Vo2 and oxygen uptake kinetics effect
tolerance to HIT training. Vo2 max is the total volume of oxygen that can be utilized in one
minute during maximal or exhaustive exercise. It is known from any given running speed, having
a higher vo2 max will reduce relative exercise intensity and delay fatigue. Eleven recreational
players will help with determining which factors influence a persons maximal vo2 uptake, which
may assist practitioners in personalizing training interventions.
“Eleven recreational sports players ranging (30.5 +/- 3.6 year, 81 +/- 6kg, 180 +/- 6cm)
volunteered for this study” and “were involved (4.9 +/- 2.7 hours) of soccer, handball or
Australian rules football’ per week. These athletes “had no history or clinical signs of cardio
vascular or pulmonary disease”. All “participants were not currently taking prescribed
medication and presented normal blood pressure and elctrocardiographic patterns”. “Each player
was tested on four different occasions separated by at least forty eight hours”. Session one
“consisted of two different series of tests”. The first test players performed “a modified version
of the University of Montreal Track Test to determine maximal oxygen uptake”. Following ten
minutes after the incremental test, a second test was performed. This test consisted of “two
supramaximal runs until exhaustion at 120% to determine their vo2 max (interspread with ten
minutes of passive recovery)”. The second session “players performed three 40 meter sprints to
determine maximal sprinting speed” with the fastest 10 meter split time (minimum 60s recovery
in between sprints). The third session “players completed three sub maximal 5-min runs” to
identify O2 kinetics. The three intervals consisted of repeating sets (8) 10, 4-s runs. Before and
after the first 2 HIT intervals participants performed CMJ and DJ vertical jumps to assess
explosive leg strength. Each run was cued by audio feedback and tests were terminated if the
participant failed to complete the 22m run on 2 consecutive attempts. In the final session athletes
repeated another three sub maximal 5-min run intervals but performed counter movement jumps
and drop jumps in between the first two intervals.
The study found that the “metabolic responses to the first two sets of HIT were
negatively correlated with VO2 max, % of ASR (anaerobic system reserve) and VO2off SEV
(VO2 kinetics at exercise end severe intensity domain)”. There was ‘no relationship with
maximal sprinting speed, VO2tonMOd (Vo2 kinetics at onset moderate) or VO2ton SEV 9VO2
kinetics at onset severe)”. Six of eleven participants were unable to complete HIT intervals. The
athletes who could not complete more than five HIT intervals had higher VO2 responses and
higher lactate levels after the first two intervals. Participants who completed five or more
intervals had greater muscle oxygen extraction responses which is typical in trained athletes..
This made those athletes less reliant on the anaerobic system and were more efficient at using
oxygen. However there were no differences seen in maximal acquired oxygen deficit between
the individuals who couldn't complete more than two HIT intervals and those who could
complete five or more. Concluding that maximum sprinting speed is probably not directly
impacted by the metabolic response of HIT. Rather, a tolerance to HIT training should focus on
increasing the velocity at maximum oxygen uptake of the athlete and their lactate threshold.
Overall, individuals with higher tolerance to HIT training were able to sustain an aerobic state
longer resulting in greater running efficiency.
References:

Buchheit, Martin, Karim Hader, and Villanueva Alberto Mendez "Tolerance to
high intensity intermittent running." :Do oxygen uptake kinetics really matter?. 3.
France: 2012.

Quinn, Elizabeth. "http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/glossary/g/VO2Max.htm."
About.com. N.p., 29 Nov 2007. Web. 8 Nov 2013.
<http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/glossary/g/VO2Max.htm>.