Submaximal Oxygen Deficit During Incremental Treadmill Exercise in Elite Youth Female Handball Players

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Human Performance

Background:

• Laboratory-based cardiorespiratory function assessment is standard in sports science, often focusing on oxygen uptake.
• The concept of oxygen deficit, introduced by Hill, has been less explored during submaximal exercise and its dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the behavior and influencing factors of oxygen deficit during graded exercise in young female handball players.
• To identify distinct athlete profiles based on morphological and physiological traits and their impact on oxygen deficit.

Main Methods:

• Quasi-ramp exercise protocol with spiroergometry on treadmills to measure cardiorespiratory parameters.
• Estimation of oxygen deficit using the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) algorithm for subanaerobic threshold segments.
• Body composition assessment via Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) and subsequent cluster and principal component analyses.

Main Results:

• Two distinct athlete profiles emerged, differing significantly in morphological and physiological traits.
• Higher relative VO2 peak was observed in Cluster 2, which also exhibited a greater oxygen deficit per kilogram.
• Cluster 1 displayed higher absolute body mass, skeletal muscle mass, and fat mass, indicating body composition's influence on oxygen deficit.

Conclusions:

• Oxygen deficit during submaximal exercise is multifactorial, influenced by genetic predispositions (cardiovascular and muscular oxygen utilization) and body composition.
• Age is a critical factor for adaptation potential.
• While training can modify some factors, genetic predispositions present inherent limitations; early cardiorespiratory capacity development is key for long-term optimization.