Recovery and adaptation from repeated intermittent-sprint exercise

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Human Performance

Background:

• Intermittent-sprint exercise is common in team sports.
• Understanding recovery and protective effects is crucial for athlete training.
• Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is a common response to intense exercise.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the physiological recovery profile after intermittent-sprint exercise in trained athletes.
• To investigate the protective effect of repeated exposure to intermittent-sprint exercise on markers of EIMD, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

Main Methods:

• Eight well-trained male team-sport athletes performed the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test (LIST) twice, 14 days apart.
• Measurements included maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MIVC), countermovement jump (CMJ), creatine kinase (CK), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), F2-isoprostanes, and DOMS.
• Data collected pre-exercise and up to 72 hours post-LIST.

Main Results:

• All measured variables indicated the presence of EIMD following the LIST.
• Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) peaked at 24 hours after the first LIST and was significantly reduced after the second LIST.
• No significant differences in other EIMD markers (MIVC, CMJ, CK, IL-6, F2-isoprostanes) were observed between the two exercise bouts.

Conclusions:

• Well-trained athletes accustomed to the exercise type still experience EIMD after intermittent-sprint exercise.
• A first bout of exercise provides a limited protective effect against subsequent bouts of identical intermittent-sprint exercise in these athletes.