Work-to-rest ratios in repeated sprint assessments: A replication study

Replication projects provide supplementary evidence to reinforce the veracity of novel claims. The Sports Science Replication Centre conducted an international effort to assess the replicability of sports and exercise science research; our research group was assigned to replicate the study by La Monica et al (2016) who reported that larger work-to-rest ratios during repeated cycle sprinting elicited greater oxygen consumption during the rest periods. Participants ( n = 21 men, 23 ± 3 y) completed a familiarization and three experimental visits of 10 maximal 6-second cycle sprints against a resistance of 7.5% body weight separated by one of the three active rest intervals: 24 seconds (1:4 work-to-rest ratio), 18 seconds (1:3), or 12 seconds (1:2). Both V̇O _2work and V̇O _2rest were higher during the 12-second rest interval compared to the 18-second and 24-second rest intervals ( p < 0.01). Changes in V̇O _2rest were similar to the original study, although our observed effect size was lower (partial η ² = 0.41 compared to the original partial η ² = 0.75), consistent with typical replication studies. We observed differences in V̇O _2work unlike the original study which found no differences between work-to-rest conditions. This replication attempt was partially successful in corroborating previous findings, supporting that larger work-to-rest ratios lead to decreased sprint performance and larger V̇O ₂ demands, with more conservative effect sizes.