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Blood lactate accumulation in intermittent supramaximal exercise
M Rieu1, A Duvallet, L Scharapan
1Laboratoire de physiologie des adaptations, Faculté de médecine Cochin-Port Royal, Paris, France.
Summary
During repetitive exercise, blood lactate accumulation slows down, suggesting lactate is utilized between intense bursts. This impacts lactate clearance rates and diffusion spaces in trained runners.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Sports Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Understanding lactate kinetics is crucial for optimizing training in endurance athletes.
- Intermittent exercise protocols are common in sports training, but their impact on lactate accumulation requires further study.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate blood lactate accumulation rate and oxygen consumption during repetitive, high-intensity intermittent exercise in trained runners.
- To compare lactate kinetics and oxygen recovery between single and repetitive exercise bouts.
Main Methods:
- Six trained male runners performed four 45-second treadmill runs at 172% VO2max, with 9-minute rests.
- Blood lactate and oxygen consumption (VO2) were measured during and after exercise sessions.
- A subset of subjects repeated a single exercise bout for comparison.
Main Results:
- Blood lactate concentration increased gradually, but its accumulation rate (delta[LA]b) decreased with repetitive exercise.
- Oxygen consumption per exercise bout remained constant.
- Lactate half-time was longer after intermittent exercise (26 min) than single exercise (15 min), indicating slower clearance.
- VO2 returned to baseline within 15-20 min post-exercise.
Conclusions:
- Repetitive intermittent exercise leads to a reduced rate of blood lactate accumulation, possibly due to lactate utilization or increased diffusion space.
- The multi-compartmental nature of lactate diffusion is suggested by differing half-times between single and intermittent exercise bouts.