Training for Recovery: Impact of Sprint Interval Training on Recovery Dynamics and Aerobic Performance in Kickboxing Athletes

Abstract

Purpose

Recovery within and between rounds is crucial to combat sports performance. We sought to determine whether sprint interval training (SIT) improves recovery dynamics and aerobic performance.

Methods

Eleven male kickboxing athletes (26±5 years; body mass index 25±3 kg/m²) were recruited. Participants were tested three times for VO_2peak/time to exhaustion and critical power; baseline, 3 weeks control, 3 weeks of SIT (8×10 s lower body sprints followed by a maximum of 10 min recovery before completing 8×10 s upper body sprints). During SIT session 1 and 9 continuous gas analysis was performed.

Results

There was a significant reduction in recovery time between lower and upper body sprints with training (session 1: 441±150 s; session 9: 268±10 s; P<0.01; d=2.77) and change in oxygen off-kinetics amplitude (session1: 3.0±0.7 L/min, session 9: 3.6±1.0 L/min; P<0.05; d=−1.77), VO₂ end (session 1: 0.59±0.19 L/min, session 9: 0.81±0.21 L/min; P<0.05, d=−0.90), time constant (session 1: 81±21 s; session 9: 60±11 s; P<0.05; d=1.03). Following training there was a significant improvement in critical power (P<0.05; η²_p=0.72) time to exhaustion (P<0.05; η²_p=0.30) but not VO_2peak (P>0.05).

Conclusion

SIT improves recovery time associated and aerobic performance associated with improved oxygen off-kinetics. Therefore, training needs to focus on improving oxygen off-kinetics to enhance combat performance.

Keywords

Aerobic fitness / Recovery / Sprint interval training / Combat sports / Kickboxing

References

[1] Akgul MS. Effect of Wingate-based high intensity interval training on aerobic and anaerobic performance of kick boxers. Phys Educ Stud, 2019, 23(4): 167-171

[2] Amann M. Significance of group III and IV muscle afferents for the endurance exercising human. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol, 2012, 39(9): 831-835

[3] Bakeman R. Recommended effect size statistics for repeated measures designs. Behav Res Methods, 2005, 37(3): 379-384

[4] Barnett C, Carey M, Proietto J, Cerin E, Febbraio MA, Jenkins D. Muscle metabolism during sprint exercise in man: influence of sprint training. J Sci Med Sport, 2004, 7(3): 314-322

[5] Beekley MD, Abe T, Kondo M, Midorikawa T, Yamauchi T. Comparison of normalized maximum aerobic capacity and body composition of sumo wrestlers to athletes in combat and other sports. J Sports Sci Med, 2006, 5(CSSI): 13

[6] Billat VL, Mille-Hamard L, Demarle A, Koralsztein JP. Effect of training in humans on off- and on-transient oxygen uptake kinetics after severe exhausting intensity runs. Eur J Appl Physiol, 2002, 876496-505

[7] Bonato M, Rampichini S, Ferrara M, Benedini S, Sbriccoli P, Merati G, Franchini E, La Torre A. Aerobic training program for the enhancements of HR and VO₂ off-kinetics in elite judo athletes. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 2015, 55(11): 1277-1284

[8] Burnley M, Jones AM. Oxygen uptake kinetics as a determinant of sports performance. Eur J Sport Sci, 2007, 7(2): 63-79

[9] Campos EZ, Bastos FN, Papoti M, Freitas Junior IF, Gobatto CA, Balikian Junior P. The effects of physical fitness and body composition on oxygen consumption and heart rate recovery after high-intensity exercise. Int J Sports Med, 2012, 33(8): 621-626

[10] Caputo F, Denadai BS. Effects of aerobic endurance training status and specificity on oxygen uptake kinetics during maximal exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol, 2004, 93(1–2): 87-95

[11] Christensen PM, Jacobs RA, Bonne T, Flück D, Bangsbo J, Lundby C. A short period of high-intensity interval training improves skeletal muscle mitochondrial function and pulmonary oxygen uptake kinetics. J Appl Physiol (Bethesda, Md.: 1985), 2016, 120(11): 1319-1327

[12] Cohen J. A power primer. Psychol Bull, 1992, 112(1): 155-159

[13] Davis P, Leithäuser RM, Beneke R. The energetics of semicontact 3 x 2-min amateur boxing. Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2014, 9(2): 233-239

[14] Dunn EC, Humberstone CE, Iredale KF, Martin DT, Blazevich AJ. Human behaviours associated with dominance in elite amateur boxing bouts: a comparison of winners and losers under the Ten Point Must System. PLoS ONE, 2017, 12(12 e0188675

[15] Dupont G, McCall A, Prieur F, Millet GP, Berthoin S. Faster oxygen uptake kinetics during recovery is related to better repeated sprinting ability. Eur J Appl Physiol, 2010, 1103): 627-634

[16] Franchini E, Takito MY, Dal'Molin Kiss MA. Performance and energy systems contributions during upper-body sprint interval exercise. J Exerc Rehabil, 2016, 12(6): 535-541

[17] Hair JF, Black WC, Babin BJ, Anderson RE. Multivariate data analysis, 20107Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall

[18] Haseler LJ, Hogan MC, Richardson RS. Skeletal muscle phosphocreatine recovery in exercise-trained humans is dependent on O₂ availability. J Appl Physiol (Bethesda, Md. 1985), 1999, 86(6): 2013-2018

[19] Jansson E, Dudley GA, Norman B, Tesch PA. Relationship of recovery from intensive exercise to the oxidative potential of skeletal muscle. Acta Physiol Scand, 1990, 139(1): 147-152

[20] Kavaliauskas M, Aspe RR, Babraj J. High-intensity cycling training: the effect of work-to-rest intervals on running performance measures. J Strength Cond Res, 2015, 29(8): 2229-2236

[21] Korzeniewski B, Rossiter HB, Zoladz JA. Mechanisms underlying extremely fast muscle V˙\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$$\dot {\text{V}}$$\end{document}O₂ on-kinetics in humans. Physiol Rep, 2018, 6(16): e13808

[22] La Monica MB, Fukuda DH, Starling-Smith TM, Clark NW, Panissa V. Alterations in energy system contribution following upper body sprint interval training. Eur J Appl Physiol, 2020, 1203643-651

[23] MacInnis MJ, Gibala MJ. Physiological adaptations to interval training and the role of exercise intensity. J Physiol, 2017, 595(9): 2915-2930

[24] Mandić M, Eriksson LMJ, Melin M, Skott V, Sundblad P, Gustafsson T, Rullman E. Increased maximal oxygen uptake after sprint-interval training is mediated by central haemodynamic factors as determined by right heart catheterization. J Physiol, 2023, 601: 2359-2370

[25] Mann TN, Lamberts RP, Lambert MI. High responders and low responders: factors associated with individual variation in response to standardized training. Sports Med, 2014, 44: 1113-1124

[26] McMahon S, Jenkins D. Factors affecting the rate of phosphocreatine resynthesis following intense exercise. Sports Med (Auckland, N.Z.), 2002, 32(12): 761-784

[27] Monks L, Seo MW, Kim HB, Jung HC, Song JK. High-intensity interval training and athletic performance in Taekwondo athletes. J Sports Med Phys Fitn, 2017, 57(10): 1252-1260

[28] Ouergui I, Davis P, Houcine N, Marzouki H, Zaouali M, Franchini E, Gmada N, Bouhlel E. Hormonal, physiological, and physical performance during simulated kickboxing combat: differences between winners and losers. Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2016, 11(4): 425-431

[29] Price M, Beckford C, Dorricott A, Hill C, Kershaw M, Singh M, Thornton I. Oxygen uptake during upper body and lower body Wingate anaerobic tests. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab Physiol appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme, 2014, 39(12): 1345-1351

[30] Rakobowchuk M, Tanguay S, Burgomaster KA, Howarth KR, Gibala MJ, MacDonald MJ. Sprint interval and traditional endurance training induce similar improvements in peripheral arterial stiffness and flow-mediated dilation in healthy humans. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 2008, 295: R236-R242

[31] Raleigh JP, Giles MD, Islam H, Nelms M, Bentley RF, Jones JH, Neder JA, Boonstra K, Quadrilatero J, Simpson CA, Tschakovsky ME. Contribution of central and peripheral adaptations to changes in maximal oxygen uptake following 4 weeks of sprint interval training. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 2018, 43(10): 1059-1068

[32] Reinpõld K, Rannama I. Oxygen uptake and bilaterally measured vastus lateralis muscle oxygen desaturation kinetics in well-trained endurance cyclists. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol, 2023, 8(2): 64

[33] Silva JJR, del Vecchio FB, Picanso LM, Takito MY, Franchini E. Time motion analysis in Muay Thai and Kickboxing amateur matches. J Hum Sport Exerc, 2011, 63490-496

[34] Slimani M, Chaabene H, Miarka B, Chamari K. The activity profile of elite low-kick kickboxing competition. Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2015, 12(2): 182-189

[35] Slimani M, Chaabene H, Miarka B, Franchini E, Chamari K, Cheour F. Kickboxing review: anthropometric, psychophysiological and activity profiles and injury epidemiology. Biol Sport, 2017, 34(2): 185-196

[36] Sousa A, Rodríguez FA, Machado L, Vilas-Boas JP, Fernandes RJ. Exercise modality effect on oxygen uptake off-transient kinetics at maximal oxygen uptake intensity. Exp Physiol, 2015, 100(6): 719-729

[37] Temesi J, Mattioni Maturana F, Peyrard A, Piucco T, Murias JM, Millet GY. The relationship between oxygen uptake kinetics and neuromuscular fatigue in high-intensity cycling exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol, 2017, 117(5): 969-978

[38] Tomlin DL, Wenger HA. The relationship between aerobic fitness and recovery from high intensity intermittent exercise. Sports Med (Auckland N.Z.), 2001, 31(1): 1-11

[39] Vanhatalo A, Doust JH, Burnley M. Determination of critical power using a 3-min all-out cycling test. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2007, 39(3): 548-555

[40] Yamagishi T, Babraj J. Effects of reduced-volume of sprint interval training and the time course of physiological and performance adaptations. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 2017, 27(12): 1662-1672

[41] Zafeiridis A, Dalamitros A, Dipla K, Manou V, Galanis N, Kellis S. Recovery during high-intensity intermittent anaerobic exercise in boys, teens, and men. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2005, 37(3): 505-512

[42] Zelt JG, Hankinson PB, Foster WS, Williams CB, Reynolds J, Garneys E, Tschakovsky ME, Gurd BJ. Reducing the volume of sprint interval training does not diminish maximal and submaximal performance gains in healthy men. Eur J Appl Physiol, 2014, 114(11): 2427-2436

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

The Author(s)