Published in:
01-11-2014 | Original Article
The influence of aerobic fitness on the recovery of peak power output
Published in: European Journal of Applied Physiology | Issue 11/2014
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Purpose
The aims of this study were to evaluate the recovery kinetics of peak power output (PPO) following a maximal sprint, and to evaluate the influence of aerobic fitness on that recovery process.
Methods
On separate occasions, 16 well-trained men (age: 21 ± 3 years; height: 1.84 ± 0.05 m; and body mass: 78.8 ± 7.8 kg) performed a 30 s maximal sprint on a cycle ergometer, followed by a predetermined stationary rest period (5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 s) and a subsequent 5 s sprint to determine PPO recovery kinetics. On another occasion, \({\dot V}{{\rm O}_{2}}\) was monitored during recovery from a 30 s sprint to provide a comparison with the recovery of PPO. Finally, subjects completed a \({\dot V}{{\rm O}_{2{\rm max}}}\) test to evaluate the influence of aerobic fitness on the recovery of PPO.
Results
Despite following similar time courses (F = 0.36, p = 0.558), and being well described by double-exponential models, the kinetic parameters of PPO and \({\dot V}{{\rm O}_{2}}\) in recovery were significantly different (p < 0.05). There was no significant relationship (r = 0.15; p = 0.578) between \({\dot V}{\rm O}_{2{\rm max}}\) and the time to achieve 50 % recovery of PPO. Moreover, there was no difference (p = 0.61) between the recovery kinetics of participants classified according to their \({\dot V}{\rm O}_{2{\rm max}}\) (59.4 ± 1.3 vs 48.5 ± 2.2 ml·kg−1·min−1).
Conclusion
Despite similar overall recovery kinetics, \({\dot V}{{\rm O}_{2}}\) and PPO show differences in key model parameters. Moreover, the recovery of PPO does not appear to be affected by aerobic fitness.