PMID 30060478

Research
All papers

Early Adaptations to a Two-Week Uphill Run Sprint Interval Training and Cycle Sprint Interval Training

Kavaliauskas M, Jakeman J, Babraj J

Question

Do two weeks of uphill running SIT and cycle SIT produce similar early physiological and performance adaptations?

Summary

In recreationally active men, six sessions of 4 x 30 s all-out sprint training over 2 weeks improved ventilatory threshold with both cycling and uphill running. Uphill sprint training also improved time to exhaustion more than cycling, while VO2peak did not significantly change in either training group.

Methodology

  • Healthy recreationally active men in training and acute-response groups.
  • 23 participants.
  • Cycling or uphill running.
  • Work intervals: 30 s all-out.
  • Recovery: 4 min active recovery.
  • Intensity: All-out; cycling against 7.5% body mass or uphill on 10% slope.
  • 18 min excluding warm-up/cool-down.
  • 3 sessions/week.
  • 2 weeks.
  • Randomized controlled training study with a separate acute crossover response group
  • VO2peak, Time to exhaustion, Ventilatory threshold, and Acute physiology were tracked.

Outcomes

VO2peak

VO2peak did not significantly change after either SIT or UST.

SIT 49 +/- 7 to 49 +/- 7; UST 48 +/- 4 to 50 +/- 6 mL/kg/min; p>0.05.

No clear change

TTE

TTE improved significantly after UST but not after SIT, and the change favored UST.

UST 495 +/- 40 to 551 +/- 15 s p=0.014; SIT 613 +/- 135 to 634 +/- 118 s p=0.07; change difference p=0.04.

Mixed

Ventilatory threshold

Both SIT and UST improved ventilatory threshold similarly.

SIT 1.94 +/- 0.45 to 2.23 +/- 0.42 L/min; UST 2.04 +/- 0.40 to 2.33 +/- 0.34 L/min; p<0.005 for both.

Improved

Insights

  • Uphill running SIT may be a lower-equipment alternative to cycling SIT for prepared users.
  • Ventilatory threshold may respond before VO2peak in very short SIT blocks.
  • Matching work/rest timing does not guarantee total-work matching across modalities.

Limitations

  • Small sample size.
  • Men only.
  • Training background not controlled.
  • Only two weeks of training.
  • Protocols not matched for total work.

Safety

  • Adverse events and injuries were not reported.
  • Participants were healthy and recreationally active.