Maximal Oxygen Uptake Adjusted for Skeletal Muscle Mass in Competitive Speed-Power and Endurance Male Athletes: Changes in a One-Year Training Cycle

Abstract

We compared the changes in maximum oxygen uptake (V·O2max) calculated per skeletal muscle mass (SMM) with conventional V·O2max measures in a 1-year training cycle. We hypothesized that the pattern of changes would differ between SMM-adjusted and absolute or weight-adjusted values, and the differences between groups of distinct training specialization and status will depend on the measure used. Twelve sprinters (24.7 ± 3.3 years), 10 endurance runners (25.3 ± 5.3 years), and 10 recreationally trained controls (29 ± 4.5 years) performed a treadmill test until exhaustion to determine V·O2max. Their SMM was estimated based on the dual X-ray absorptiometry method and a regression equation. The significance of differences was assessed using analysis of variance (p ≤ 0.05). The pattern of the longitudinal change was not different between V·O2max/SMM and standard measures. Also, the significance of differences between sprinters and endurance athletes remained similar regardless of the V·O2max measure. Sprinters and controls had similar absolute (~4.3 L·min−1) and total weight-adjusted (~52 vs. ~56 mL·min−1·kg) V·O2max, but they significantly differed in SMM-adjusted V·O2max (~110 vs. ~130 mL·min−1·kg SMM−1). In summary, SMM-adjusted V·O2max is not more useful than standard measures to track longitudinal changes in competitive athletes. However, it allows to better distinguish between groups or individuals differing in training status. The results of our study are limited to male athletes.

Effect of Exercise Training on Physical Fitness Among Young Tennis Players: A Systematic Review

“…Power is a subset of speed power, which is the foundation for numerous sports ( 34 ). Not only can it overcome resistance and cause the object to produce displacement, but it may also cause the object to produce a huge displacement speed ( 35 ).…”

Assessment of aerobic exercise capacity in obesity, which expression of oxygen uptake is the best?

“… 125 The O 2max /skeletal muscle mass (SMM) may be considered as an indication of the “aerobic muscle quality” of the athlete's skeletal muscle, which refers to the amount of oxygen consumed per SMM. 15 , 154 There is a strong negative correlation between %FM and O 2max /SMM, and positive relationship between SMM and absolute O 2max in athletes, including sumo wrestling and untrained controls. 154 When the “ceiling” is reached, the increase in SMM will not result in an additional increase in absolute O 2max .…”

“…We need to pay attention to many factors which can affect O 2max , such as: body size, weight and composition, 13 training state 12 , 14 , 15 (type and duration of physical activity), cardiopulmonary function, 12 , 16 the hemoglobin concentration in the blood, 17 mitochondrial function, 18 , 19 , 20 genetic factors, 21 , 22 , 23 different test methods (treadmill or cycling) 24 , 25 and the protocol 26 , 27 used for the assessment. The relations between fitness and cardiovascular risk factors are greatly influenced by the choice of expression (absolute, relative to body weight [BW], relative to fat-free mass [FFM]) of fitness in children and adolescents.…”

“…There is some confusion about the expression of the O 2max value (absolute and relative value), when comparing individuals with different body size and composition 15 (e.g., obese and normal-weight [NW] individuals, before and after bariatric surgery). To a large extent, this confusion or different interpretation of O 2max results depends on the method chosen for data normalization.…”

Body Composition and Physical Health in Sports Practice: An Editorial

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