Intensity and distance of interval training programs and changes in aerobic power.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative importance of the factors intensity and distance in interval training on maximal aerobic power (maxJOURNAL/masis/beta/00005756-197300510-00005/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2016-08-16T100014Z/r/image-pngO2). Three programs were used: (1) high-intensity, short-distance sprints (Group S); (2) low-intensity, long-distance runs (Group L): and (3) a combination of both (Group M). Following 7½ weeks of training 5 days per week, significant increases in maxJOURNAL/masis/beta/00005756-197300510-00005/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2016-08-16T100014Z/r/image-pngO2 (liters/min) and significant decreases in maximal and submaximal heart rates were found within each group; increases in maxJOURNAL/masis/beta/00005756-197300510-00005/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2016-08-16T100014Z/r/image-pngO2, (ml/kg-min) were significant only for Groups S and M. There were no significant differences among groups before or after training. A significant (p < .05) relationship was found between the change in maxJOURNAL/masis/beta/00005756-197300510-00005/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2016-08-16T100014Z/r/image-pngO2 and training intensity indicating that intensity rather than distance is the more important factor in improving maxJOURNAL/masis/beta/00005756-197300510-00005/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2016-08-16T100014Z/r/image-pngO2. It is proposed that differences in training intensities were due mainly to differences in tissue hypoxia, and that such a relationship is based on proportional differences in the oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle caused by the hypoxic stimulus.