Oxygen cost of sprint training

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 It university track team. Subjects were assessed for (V) over dotO(2max), and (V) over dotO(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 (V) over dotO(2max) (v(V) over dotO(2max)) with a 3-min walk recovery, and a cool-down. Results. Mean (V) over dotO(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. (V) over dotO(2) rose to 33 mL/kg/min during and immediately following each 20 s sprint which represented 73% of (V) over dotO(2max). (V) over dotO(2) during and after each sprint remained nearly constant (P>0.05) rather than rising as hypothesized. Conclusion. (V) over dotO(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. (V) over dotO(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.