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Research > Theory to practice - Distance running or specific sprint-training for team players?
Theory to practice - Distance running or specific sprint-training for team players?
Issue: Volume 28 Number 4
Background
Before sports science started to impact on sports performance, the principle of specificity of training was practised by very few coaches. Football, in the ‘good old days’, was played by males only and road running pre-season was seen as the way to get fit to play. While a strong aerobic base is still crucial for injury prevention and team sport performance, a recent study from the University of Western Australia compared the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MIT) on changes in repeated-sprint ability (RSA) demanded in most team sports.
Research
Twenty healthy young females had their aerobic capacity, anaerobic threshold and RSA (5 x 6 second sprints, every 30 seconds) test results measured before and after a five-week training program. The girls were matched on initial RSA results, then randomly put into either the HIT (N = 10) or MIT (N = 10) training group. They then did cycle training in a controlled lab setting, performing either HIT (6–10, two-minute intervals at 120–140 per cent of their anaerobic threshold intensity) or MIT (continuous, 20–30 minutes at 80–95 per cent of their threshold intensity). Crucially, both types of training were matched for total work done in kilojoules.
Findings
Both groups had significant improvements in aerobic capacity of between 10–12 per cent and in anaerobic threshold of between 8–10 per cent, with no significant differences between the two training groups. Both groups also had significant increases in RSA total work over the five-week period. However, there was a significantly greater increase in RSA total work output following the HIT than the MIT (13 versus 8.5 per cent, respectively).
Coaches’ takeout
The results of this study suggest that, when total work is matched, HIT results in greater improvements in RSA than MIT. The results suggest an improved ability to maintain performance during consecutive sprints; and that team performance is best developed by specific, high intensity training rather than continuous aerobic training. Coaches should, once the aerobic base is developed to prevent injuries and help recovery, develop fitness and skill drills that reflect team sport play. That is, repeated sprint work with short or long recoveries depending on the sport and or position played in the sport.
Reference
Edge, J, Bishop, D, Goodman, C and Dawson, B 2005, ‘Effects of high- and moderate-intensity training on metabolism and repeated sprints’, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 37(11), pp. 1975–82.
