- K Berg: Exercise Physiology Laboratory, School of HPER, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68181, USA. kberg@unomaha.edu
AIM: The purpose of the study was to profile the oxygen uptake of sprinters during various portions of a typical sprint training workout.
METHODS: This was a descriptive study of 11 female sprinters and jumpers on an NCAA Division II university track team. Subjects were assessed for VO(2max), and VO(2) and HR kinetics during a 65 min typical sprint training session on a treadmill. The sprint session included a warm-up, static stretching, acceleration runs, 8x20 s sprints at 150% of velocity VO(2max) (vVO(2max)) with a 3-min walk recovery, and a cool-down.
RESULTS: Mean VO(2) and HR (M+/-SD) for the entire 65 min sprint training session were 19.1+/-7.6 mL/kg/min and 138.7+/-24.0 b/min, respectively. VO(2) rose to 33 mL/kg/min during and immediately following each 20 s sprint which represented 73% of VO(2max). VO(2) during and after each sprint remained nearly constant (P>0.05) rather than rising as hypothesized.
CONCLUSION: VO(2) during a 65 min sprint training workout in female college athletes varies greatly but was elevated to 33 mL/kg/min following each 20 s sprint. VO(2) did not rise across the series of eight sprints. These results suggest that chronic sprint training may elicit a moderate aerobic training effect. Implications for training are discussed.