Early Adaptations to a Two-Week Uphill Run Sprint Interval Training and Cycle Sprint Interval Training

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Sports Science
• Human Performance

Background:

• Sprint interval training (SIT) is a time-efficient exercise modality.
• Uphill run sprint training (UST) is a less-explored alternative to SIT.
• Comparing adaptations between SIT and UST is crucial for optimizing training protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare early physiological and performance adaptations between two-week SIT and UST programs.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of UST as an alternative to SIT.

Main Methods:

• Recreationally active males were assigned to control, SIT, or UST groups.
• Training involved three weekly sessions of 4 x 30-second all-out sprints with 4-minute active recovery.
• Intervention groups underwent pre- and post-training VO₂peak and time-to-exhaustion tests.

Main Results:

• VO₂peak remained unchanged in both SIT and UST groups.
• Time-to-exhaustion significantly increased only in the UST group.
• Ventilatory threshold significantly increased in both SIT and UST groups.

Conclusions:

• UST may be an effective alternative to SIT for improving endurance adaptations.
• Both SIT and UST enhance ventilatory threshold in healthy individuals.
• Further research should explore long-term adaptations and different populations.