Repeated Sprint Performance in Male and Female College Athletes Matched for VO₂max Relative to Fat Free Mass

The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in repeated sprint exercise (RSE) performance among male and female athletes matched for VO₂max relative to FFM (VO₂max FFM). Thirty nine male and female college athletes performed a graded exercise test for VO₂max and hydrostatic weighing to determine FFM. From the results, 11 pairs of males and females matched for VO₂max FFM (mean ± SD; 58.3 ± 4.3 and 58.9 ± 4.6 ml·kg FFM^-1·min^-1; men and women, respectively) were identified. On a separate day, matched participants performed a RSE protocol that consisted of five 6-sec cycle sprints with 30-sec recovery periods, followed by 5-min active recovery and a 30-sec all-out sprint. Repeated 6-sec sprint performance did not differ between men and women; both maintained power output (PO) until sprint 4. PO_FFM (W·kg^-1 FFM) did not differ between men and women during the five sprints. During the 30-sec sprint, men achieved a lower peak PO_FFM than women (11.7 ± 1.5 vs 13.2 ± 1.2); however, the decline in PO_FFM over 30 sec was greater in women. VO₂ (ml·kg FFM^-1·min^-1) was lower in men during recovery (24.4 ± 3.8 vs 28.7 ± 5.7) and at the beginning (29.2 ± 4.0 vs 34.7 ± 4.9) and end (49.4 ± 5.0 vs 52.3 ± 4.0). of the 30-sec sprint. These data indicate that men and women with similar aerobic capacities do not respond differently to short repeated sprints but may differ in their ability to recover and perform sprints of longer duration.