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Exercise intensity and metabolic response in singles tennis
M A Christmass1, S E Richmond, N T Cable
1Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia.
Journal of Sports Sciences
|April 3, 1999
Summary
This study found that heart rate and movement analysis during singles tennis explain lactate changes. Measuring heart rate alone can overestimate the actual aerobic response in athletes.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Exercise Physiology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Assessing exercise intensity and metabolic responses in sports like tennis is crucial for training.
- Previous methods may not accurately reflect the dynamic nature of on-court activity.
- Understanding these responses aids in optimizing performance and preventing fatigue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine exercise intensity and metabolic response during singles tennis play.
- To compare on-court assessments with laboratory-based exercise intensity measurements.
- To identify factors influencing plasma lactate concentration during tennis matches.
Main Methods:
- Eight State-level tennis players completed a singles match while heart rate (HR) and movement were monitored.
- Seven male subjects underwent intermittent and continuous treadmill runs in a laboratory setting.
- Plasma lactate concentration was measured at rest and during changes of ends in the tennis study.
Main Results:
- During tennis, relative exercise intensity (72% VO2max) and HR (83.4% HRmax) remained constant after the second change of end.
- Peak estimated play intensity (1.25 steps/s) occurred after the fourth change of end.
- Plasma lactate increased significantly (175%) from rest to a peak after the sixth change of end (5.86 mmol/L).
- A regression model including %HRmax and play intensity explained 82% of plasma lactate variation.
- In laboratory tests, HR-estimated %VO2peak was 17% higher than measured %VO2peak during intermittent running.
- HR-estimated %VO2peak showed only a 5% error during continuous running.
Conclusions:
- Changes in exercise intensity, measured by HR and time-motion analysis, correlate with lactate concentration during singles tennis.
- Using HR alone with preliminary fitness tests to estimate VO2max can overestimate the actual aerobic response during tennis play.
- Accurate assessment of exercise intensity in dynamic sports requires considering both physiological and movement-based metrics.