title: Extremely short duration high-intensity training substantially improves endurance performance in triathletes.
abstract: High-intensity training (HIT) involving 30-s sprints is an effective training regimen to improve aerobic performance. We tested whether 6-s HITs can improve aerobic performance in triathletes. Six subelite triathletes (age, 40 ± 9 years; weight, 86 ± 11 kg; body mass index, 26 ± 3 kg·m⁻²) took part in cycle HIT and 6 endurance-trained subelite athletes (age, 36 ± 9 years; weight, 82 ± 11 kg; BMI, 26 ± 3 kg·m⁻²) maintained their normal training routine. Before and after 2 weeks of HIT, involving 10 × 6-s sprints or normal activity, participants performed a self-paced 10-km time trial and a time to exhaustion test on a cycle ergometer. Finger prick blood samples were taken throughout the time to exhaustion test to determine blood lactate concentration. Two weeks of HIT resulted in a 10% decrease in self-paced 10-km time trial (p = 0.03) but no significant change in time to exhaustion. The time taken to reach onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA, defined as the point where blood lactate reaches 4 mmol·L⁻¹) was significantly increased following 2 weeks of HIT (p = 0.003). The change in time trial performance was correlated to the change in time taken to reach OBLA (R² = 0.63; p = 0.001). We concluded that a very short duration HIT is a very effective training regimen to improve aerobic performance in subelite triathletes and this is associated with a delay in blood lactate build-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, England.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jakeman
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adamson
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Babraj
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D054874:Athletic Performance; D015444:Exercise; D005080:Exercise Test; D005221:Fatigue / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D010807:Physical Endurance; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D019344:Lactic Acid