Effects of Age and Recovery Duration on Performance During Multiple Treadmill Sprints

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of age and recovery duration on performance during multiple treadmill sprints. Twelve boys (11.7 +/- 0.5 y) and thirteen men (22.1 +/- 2.9 y) performed ten consecutive 10-s sprints on a non-motorised treadmill separated by 15-s (R15) and 180-s (R180) passive recovery intervals. Mean power output (MPO), mean force output (MFO), running velocity, step length, and step rate were calculated for each sprint. Capillary blood samples were drawn from the fingertip at rest and 3 min after the tenth sprint to measure the lactate accumulation (Delta [La]). With R15, all mechanical parameters decreased significantly less in the boys than in the men over the ten sprints (MPO: - 28.9 vs. - 47.0 %, MFO: - 13.1 vs. - 25.6 %, running velocity: - 18.8 vs. - 29.4 %, p < 0.001, respectively). With R180, all mechanical values remained unchanged in the boys. In the men, MPO and MFO significantly decreased over the ten sprints (- 7.8 % and - 4.6 %, p < 0.05, respectively). The running velocity, however, did not decrease because the decrease in step rate (p < 0.001) was compensated by an increase in step length. For either recovery interval, Delta [La] values were higher in the men compared to the boys (R15: 12.7 vs. 7.7 mmol . L (-1), p < 0.001, R180: 10.7 vs. 7.7 mmol . L (-1), p < 0.05). To conclude, the boys maintained more easily their running performance than the men during repeated treadmill sprints with R15. Three-minute recovery periods were sufficient in the boys to repeat short running sprints without substantial fatigue. Despite the decrease in power and force outputs with R180, the young men were able to maintain their running velocity during the test.

Performance indices of two different repeated sprint tests protocols in overweight children

“…This supports the assumption that the recovery process among children is faster than in adults [7,29], and that even overweight children are able to maintain exercise intensity relatively well throughout repeated sprints, in spite of their excessive weight and low aerobic capacity. In contrast, PD was higher in overweight children, indicating greater fatigue, compared to that of non-obese children, who were able to maintain their peak power with no significant reduction during RST [24,25]. In addition, it should be emphasized that PD is determined relative to the personal results, which were far worse in the obese children of the present study compared to results in studies of non-obese children or adult athletes [9,21,31].…”

“…and young adult males (20.4±0.8 yrs) needed 5 min recovery intervals. In another study, Ratel et al [25] found that running performance decreased less in boys (11.7±0.5 yrs) compared to men (22.1±2.9 yrs.) during ten repeated 10 sec treadmill sprints separated by 15 sec recovery intervals.…”

“…These variables refer primarily to the number and duration of repetitions, and to the duration of the recovery periods. Although we are unaware of studies that examined RST performance in overweight or obese children, several studies compared RST performances of normal weight children to adults [e.g., 17,24,25,26]. Ratel et al [24] found that prepubescent boys (9.6±0.7 yrs.)…”

“…The ability of children to sustain intensity during repeated sprints was previously examined [24,25,33] using a wide range of age groups (9-17 yrs.) and different protocols of a repeated sprint test (RST).…”

Maturation-related differences in neuromuscular fatigue after a short-term maximal run

“…It has, however, been well-established that children experience a lower degree of fatigue [8] and need a shorter time to recover [9] than adults during high-intensity exercise. These differences could be explained by maturation-related development of force/power generation capacity [10], anaerobic capacity [11,12], and glycolytic enzyme system [13].…”