Children's V ˙ O 2 max trainability deficit: A quantitative analysis and a qualitative hypothesis

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Pediatric Sports Science
• Human Performance

Background:

• Children's maximal aerobic power (VO2max/peak) training response is considered lower than adults'.
• Previous hypotheses for this deficit haven't fully explained the observed phenomena.
• A comprehensive database was lacking to quantify children's trainability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create and analyze a large literature database on aerobic training response in children and adults.
• To formulate a hypothesis explaining children's trainability deficit.
• To identify underlying causes for the differences in training response between age groups.

Main Methods:

• Compiled data from 650 training studies, including 1046 cohorts (222 children, 824 adults).
• Extracted variables: cohort size, age, pre-training VO2max/peak, training intensity/duration, testing modality, and training response.
• Compared training responses between pediatric and adult cohorts.

Main Results:

• Children's overall VO2max training response was 58% of adults' (p < 0.000001).
• High-intensity training was 25% more effective in children (p = 0.041) but not adults.
• Even high-intensity training in children was only 67% as effective as in adults (p < 0.00001).

Conclusions:

• Children exhibit a significantly lower trainability of maximal aerobic power compared to adults.
• High-intensity exercise offers a relative benefit for children's aerobic training response.
• Differences in neuromuscular activation and muscle composition are proposed as key factors explaining the observed child-adult discrepancies.