Oxygen Uptake in Maximal Effort Constant Rate and Interval Running

摘要

This study investigated differences in averageV˙O2of maximal effort interval running to maximal effort constant rate running at lactate threshold matched for time. The averageV˙O2and distance covered of 10 recreational male runners (V˙O2 max: 4158 ± 390 mL·min−1) were compared between a maximal effort constant-rate run at lactate threshold (CRLT), a maximal effort interval run (INT) consisting of 2 min atV˙O2 maxspeed with 2 minutes at 50% ofV˙O2repeated 5 times, and a run at the average speed sustained during the interval run (CR submax). Data are presented as mean and 95% confidence intervals. The averageV˙O2for INT, 3451 (3269–3633) mL·min−1, 83%V˙O2 max, was not significantly different to CRLT, 3464 (3285–3643) mL·min−1, 84%V˙O2 max, but both were significantly higher than CR sub-max, 3464 (3285–3643) mL·min−1, 76%V˙O2 max. The distance covered was significantly greater in CLRT, 4431 (4202–3731) metres, compared to INT and CR sub-max, 4070 (3831–4309) metres. The novel finding was that a 20-minute maximal effort constant rate run uses similar amounts of oxygen as a 20-minute maximal effort interval run despite the greater distance covered in the maximal effort constant-rate run.