L.

Bosquet1, 3
A. Duchene1
V̇O2 Kinetics during Supramaximal Exercise:
G. Dupont1, 2
Relationship with Oxygen Deficit and 800-m L. Leger 3
Running Performance H. Carter 4
Training & Testing

Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare V̇O2 kinetics of highly- ver-
sus recreationally-trained subjects during a constant velocity
test of supramaximal intensity. Eighteen trained male subjects
were recruited to one of two groups: highly trained (HT, n = 8,
V̇O2max = 70.1 ± 6.5 ml · min–1 · kg–1) and recreationally trained (RT,
n = 10, V̇O2max = 63.2 ± 6.4 ml · min–1 · kg–1). All subjects performed
an incremental test to exhaustion for the determination of
V̇O2max and peak treadmill velocity (PTV), two constant velocity
tests at 110% of PTV to determine V̇O2 kinetics and oxygen deficit
(O2def), and a 800-m time trial to determine running perfor-
mance (mean velocity over the distance, V800 m). We found signif-
icant differences between HT and RT for the on-transient of the
V̇O2 response (τ, 24.7 ± 3.3 and 30.9 ± 7.0 s, respectively), the am-
plitude of the V̇O2 response (60.0 ± 5.0 and 53.5 ± 5.7 ml · min–1 ·
kg–1, respectively) and V800 m (6.27 ± 2.1 and 5.45 ± 0.38 m · s–1, re-
spectively). O2def (24.6 ± 2.7 and 27.7 ± 7.8 ml · kg–1, respectively)
and the gain of the V̇O2 response (193 ± 14 and 194 ± 13 ml · kg–1 ·
m–1, respectively) were similar between groups. τ was associated
with O2def (r = 0.90, p < 0.05), but not with V800 m (r = 0.30,
p > 0.05). It was concluded that HT subjects exhibited faster on-
kinetics and higher amplitude than their RT counterparts. The
higher amplitude was not thought to reflect any difference in
underlying physiological mechanisms. The faster τ, whose exact
mechanisms remain to be elucidated, may have practical impli-
cations for coaches.
Key words
Middle distance running · oxygen deficit · fatigue · training

518
Introduction
The physiological determinants of events lasting ∼ 2 minutes,
like the 800 m in running, are particular in that they require a
significant contribution of both anaerobic (34 to 40 %) and aero-
bic (60 to 66 %) pathways to cover the total energy demand
[11,16, 45], and that anaerobic capacity is nearly completely [11]
or completely [32] utilized at the end of the race.
Since performance in this time domain relies on the interplay be-
tween aerobic and anaerobic pathways, the V̇O2 kinetics from
rest to the intensity required by this kind of event (110 to 120%
of V̇O2max) [7, 45, 46] are probably a discriminating parameter of
performance. It is generally assumed that V̇O2 rises exponen-
tially to match the energy production with the energy required
for the exercise. In the case of supramaximal intensity exercise,
where the energy demand exceeds V̇O2max, V̇O2 will tend toward
its maximum, and eventually reach it if there is sufficient time
for the primary component of the V̇O2 response to develop com-
pletely [49]. In this theoretical frame, a faster V̇O2 kinetic re-
sponse at the same relative work rate will reduce the magnitude
of the oxygen deficit (O2def) [17,19], which is an indirect method

Affiliation
1
Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Lille 2, Ronchin, France
2
Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Artois, Liévin, France
3
Department of Kinesiology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
4
Chelsea School Research Centre, University of Brighton, Eastbourne, United Kingdom

Correspondence
Laurent Bosquet · Department of Kinesiology · University of Montreal · CP 6128, succ. centre ville ·
Montreal · Canada H3C 3J7 · Phone: + 5143 43 89 49 · Fax: + 5143 43 2181 ·
E-mail: laurent.bosquet@umontreal.ca

Accepted after revision: September 30, 2006

Bibliography
Int J Sports Med 2007; 28: 518 – 524 © Georg Thieme Verlag KG · Stuttgart · New York ·
DOI 10.1055/s-2006-955896 · Published online March 15, 2007 ·
ISSN 0172-4622
of measuring anaerobic metabolism in the muscle [21]. It is ex-
pected that this faster adjustment of aerobic pathway will spare
the fall in intramuscular phosphocreatine, which may attenuate
the accumulation of hydrogen ions and allow for a greater avail-
ability of stored energy sources at the end of the race [26].
It is clear from numerous studies that enhanced physical fitness
results in significant alterations of the V̇O2 kinetics in the heavy
intensity domain, including a faster on-transient (the speed of
the rise in oxygen uptake from exercise onset until the “steady
state”) and a smaller amplitude of the V̇O2 slow component (a
delayed and elevated phase of the oxygen uptake response to
heavy intensity exercise) [4, 29]. Surprisingly, very few studies
have reported values for the V̇O2 kinetics in the supramaximal
domain, especially for highly trained athletes. Draper and Wood
[10] provided such a description. They also made a comparison
with highly trained sprint athletes [9]. To our knowledge, no re-
search has compared the on-transient of highly vs. recreationally
trained subjects in order to determine if the difference in per-
formance level is associated with significant alterations of this
parameter. If this was confirmed, it would provide athletes and
coaches in such events with a specific physiological parameter
to improve. Considering that the manipulation of exercise inten-
sity in an interval training session can train specifically the on-
transient in supramaximal intensity exercise [33], such an issue
is of great interest in middle distance running.
Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the V̇O2 kinetics
of highly- versus recreationally-trained runners during a con-
stant velocity test in the supramaximal intensity domain in rela-
tionship with running performance in the 800 m. It was hy-
pothesized that the difference in performance level would be
associated with significant alterations of the V̇O2 kinetics, in-
cluding a faster on-transients and a smaller O2def at the begin-
ning of exercise.
Materials and Methods
Subjects
Eighteen subjects gave their written informed consent to partic-
ipate in this study. They were assigned to one of two groups. The
highly trained group (HT) comprised middle distance runners
competing from 800 m to a half marathon from regional to na-
tional level. The inclusion criterion was to have run the 800 m
within 130 seconds at least once during the last twelve months.
The recreationally trained group (RT) constituted physical educa-
tion students that trained at least three times a week, but were
not involved in a regular distance running training program. For
this group, there was no inclusion criterion relative to the run-
ning performance in the 800 m. The main characteristics of each
group are presented in Table 1. The protocol has been reviewed
and approved by the Research Ethics Board in Health Sciences
for the University of Montreal, Canada.
Experimental design
Prior to experimentation, all subjects attended an information
session about the nature, the potential risks involved and the
benefits of the study. If the subjects were interested in partici-
pating in the study, medical screening was performed. Once in-
Bosquet L et al. V̇O2 Kinetics and Performance … Int J Sports Med 2007; 28: 518 – 524
Table 1 Main characteristics of highly trained (HT) and recreational-
ly trained (RT) groups. Values are mean ± SD
HT (n = 8) RT (n = 10)
Age (years) 22.9 ± 4.1 23.7 ± 2.8
Height (cm) 180 ± 6 179 ± 6
Weight (kg) 68.9 ± 6.8 75.2 ± 8.9
V̇O2max (ml · min–1 · kg–1 ) 70.1 ± 6.5 63.2 ± 6.4a
a
significantly different from HT (p < 0.05)
Training & Testing
cluded, the subjects completed a maximal continuous graded ex-
ercise test, two constant velocity tests and a time trial. All tests
were separated by at least 72 hours. To avoid any residual fatigue
induced by a recent workout, subjects were asked to refrain from
strenuous training the day before the tests. All tests were per-
formed within a period of six weeks.
Exercise testing
Maximal continuous graded exercise test: this test was per-
formed on a motorized treadmill (Quinton, Bothell, WA, USA),
which was calibrated at 8 and 16 km · h–1 before each session
with a “in-house” system using an optical sensor connected to
an acquisition card. Initial velocity was set at 10 km · h–1 and in-
creased by 1 km · h–1 every two minutes until exhaustion. The
grade was set at zero throughout the test. The velocity of the last
completed stage and the duration maintained during the last
stage (if applicable) were used to compute the peak treadmill
velocity (PTV, see Data analysis). Oxygen uptake (V̇O2) and relat-
ed gas exchange measures were determined continuously on a 519
breath-by-breath basis using an automated cardiopulmonary ex-
ercise system (Moxus, AEI Technologies, Naperville, IL, USA). Gas
analyzers were calibrated before each test using a gas mixture of
known concentration (15 % O2 and 5 % CO2) and ambient air. The
flow turbine, which was mounted on a mouthpiece breathing
valve, was calibrated before each test using a motorized syringe
(Vacu-Med, Ventura, CA, USA) with an accuracy of ± 1 % [25]. The
tidal volume was set at 3 l and the stroke rate at 40 cycles per
minute. Three minutes after the completion of the test, a blood
sample was taken from the fingertip to analyze for blood lactate
concentration ([La–]b) using an enzymatic method (YSI 1500
Sport, Yellow Springs Instruments, Yellow Springs, OH, USA).
The blood lactate analyzer was calibrated before each test using
standard solutions of 5 and 15 mmol · l–1.
Constant velocity tests: two constant velocity tests at 110% of
PTV were performed on a motorized treadmill (Quinton, Bothell,
WA, USA) at the same time of the day. The instruction given to the
subjects was to maintain the required velocity to the point of vo-
litional exhaustion. Each test was preceded by a standardized
warm-up consisting of a 10-minute run at an intensity below
the gas exchange threshold (GET) determined from the maximal
continuous graded exercise test; 5 minutes of stretching; and a
set of three, 6-second repetitions at the velocity of the test, inter-
spersed by 1 minute of passive recovery, to familiarize them-
selves with the running velocity and to replicate the warm-up
athletes may perform before competition. The test began with
 the subject’s feet astride the moving belt and hands holding the
handrail. Time was measured to the nearest second from the mo-
ment the subject released the handrail (usually less than 3 sec-
onds) until he grasped it again to signal exhaustion. Strong verbal
encouragement was given throughout each test. V̇O2 and related
gas exchange measures were determined breath-by-breath using
an automated cardiopulmonary exercise system (Moxus, AEI
Technologies, Naperville, IL, USA). The metabolic cart was cali-
brated according to the same procedure as the incremental test.
Time trial: an 800-m race was performed on a synthetic indoor
track. Subjects were matched according to their personal best or
their PTV when no performance was available, and ran in homo-
geneous groups of two or three. Subjects were encouraged to
Training & Testing
maintain an even pace throughout the run in order to produce
the best performance. Performance was measured to the nearest
0.1 second.
Data analysis
Determination of maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max), GET, and
PTV: mean values of V̇O2, ventilatory equivalent of O2 (V̇E/V̇O2)
and ventilatory equivalent of CO2 (V̇E/V̇O2) were displayed every
30 seconds during the test. As suggested by Duncan et al. [12],
the primary criterion for the attainment of V̇O2max was a plateau
in V̇O2 despite an increase in running velocity. In the absence of a
plateau, secondary criteria included a respiratory exchange ratio
of 1.15 or greater, and a post-exercise [La–]b of 8 mmol · l–1 or
greater [12]. GET was defined as the velocity at which there was
a nonlinear increase in V̇E/V̇O2 without a concomitant nonlinear
increase in V̇E/V̇O2 [47]. PTV was computed from the duration
maintained during the last stage of the incremental test with
the following equation [30]:
520
PTV = v + (a · n/b)
where v is the velocity (m · s–1) of the last completed stage, a is
the increment of the test (m · s–1), n is the duration (s) maintained
after the first 60 s of the stage and b is the duration (s) of the
stage.
Modelling of the V̇O2 kinetic response and determination of oxy-
gen deficit (O2def): raw breath-by-breath V̇O2 data measured
during the two constant velocity tests were edited so that noisy
breaths caused by swallowing, coughing or sighing, which were
not reflective of the underlying kinetics, could be removed. A val-
ue was considered noisy if it was greater than 4 standard devia-
tions from the local mean [36]. The signals from both tests were
then resampled to second-by-second and ensemble-averaged to
produce an average response. The duration of this response was
that of the shortest time to exhaustion (207 ± 34 and 173 ± 42 s
for RT and HT, respectively, p > 0.05). The initial cardiodynamic
component (i.e., the first 20 s after the onset of exercise) was ex-
cluded. The iterative nonlinear least square modelling procedure
within Statistica 6.0 (Statsoft, Tulsa, OK, USA) was then used to fit
this new regular signal from the 2 min preceding the beginning
of the test until the endpoint of the shorter of the two tests, with
the following monoexponential model, which has been shown to
be relevant for such exercise intensities [10]:
V̇O2(t) = V̇O2(baseline) + V̇O2(amplitude) – (1-e(-t/τ))
Bosquet L et al. V̇O2 Kinetics and Performance … Int J Sports Med 2007; 28: 518 – 524
where V̇O2(t) is the value for V̇O2 (ml) at time = t, V̇O2(baseline) is the
mean V̇O2 of the 2 min preceding the beginning of the test,
V̇O2(amplitude) is the difference between the asymptotic value of
the exponential term and V̇O2(baseline), and τ is the time constant
(s). O2def (ml · kg–1) was the product of τ (converted in min) and
V̇O2max [48]. O2def was also computed by taking V̇O2 at τ instead
of V̇O2max, in order to have an estimate of O2def at the beginning
of exercise. The “gain” of the response (Gamplitude = V̇O2(amplitude)/∆
running speed, expressed relative to body mass) was also calcu-
lated.
Statistical analysis
Standard statistical methods were used for the calculation of
means and standard deviations. Normal Gaussian distribution
of the data was verified by the Shapiro-Wilk test, and homosce-
dasticity by a modified Levene test. A logarithmic transformation
was performed before the analysis when data exhibited hetero-
scedasticity. A Student’s t-test was used to evaluate the differ-
ences between HT and RT subjects for relevant parameters. The
magnitude of the difference was assessed by the effect size (ES).
Since there was no control group per se, pooled standard devia-
tion was used to compute this statistic. The scale proposed by
Cohen [5] was used for interpretation. The magnitude of the dif-
ference was considered either small (0.2), moderate (0.5), or
large (0.8). Pearson product-moment correlation was used to
evaluate the association between relevant parameters. Statistical
significance was set at p = 0.05 level for all analysis. All calcula-
tions were made with Statistica 6.0 (Statsoft, Tulsa, OK, USA).
Results
The results obtained during the incremental test and the 800-m
(Eq. 1) time trial are reported in Table 2. We found a large difference be-
tween HT and RT for PTV, V̇O2max, and performance in the 800 m.
The impact of these differences in aerobic fitness and perfor-
mance capacity on V̇O2 kinetics during an exercise bout in the
supramaximal intensity domain is presented in Table 3. There
was no difference in baseline V̇O2 according to the level of exper-
tise. We found faster on-kinetics (τ) and higher amplitude for HT,
which resulted in a higher end-exercise V̇O2 (baseline + ampli-
tude). This latter difference seemed to be primarily due to the dif-
ference in running velocity and not underlying physiological
mechanisms, since Gamplitude was similar between groups (Fig. 1),
whether it was computed from end-exercise V̇O2 (193 ± 14 and
194 ± 13 ml · kg–1 · m–1 for HT and RT, respectively) or from V̇O2(am-
–1
plitude) (169 ± 8 and 170 ± 10 ml · kg · m
–1
for HT and RT, respec-
tively). End-exercise V̇O2 was also independent of τ (r = – 0.32,
p > 0.05), but was associated with V̇O2max (r = 0.94, p < 0.05). It is
noteworthy that there was no difference between HT and RT
when end-exercise V̇O2 was expressed in % V̇O2max, but also that
the capacity to reach a high % V̇O2max during an exercise of su-
pramaximal intensity seems to be independent from both τ
(r = – 0.21, p > 0.05) and V̇O2max (r = 0.20, p > 0.05). There was no
difference in O2def between groups, whether its maximal value
(28.77 ± 3.86 vs. 32.71 ± 8.93 ml · kg–1), or when it was computed
at the beginning of exercise by taking V̇O2 at τ instead of V̇O2(am-
–1
plitude) (15.49 ± 1.79 vs. 17.46 ± 4.92 ml · kg ). The correlation ma-
trix between performance in the 800-m time trial and V̇O2 ki-
(Eq. 2) netics parameters, O2def, PTV and V̇O2max is presented in Table 4.
 Table 2 Results from the incremental test and the time trial for the highly trained (HT) and recreationally trained (RT) groups. Values are mean
± standard deviation

HT (n = 8) RT (n = 10) P Effect size

Incremental test
PTV (m · s–1 ) 5.38 ± 0.25 4.75 ± 0.33 p < 0.001 2.12
V̇O2max (ml · min–1 · kg–1 ) 70.1 ± 6.5 63.2 ± 6.4 p < 0.05 1.06
[La–]b, peak (mmol · l–1 ) 8.91 ± 1.80 9.82 ± 1.75 n.s. 0.51
800 m-time trial
Performance (s) 127.4 ± 4.5 147.4 ± 10.3 p < 0.001 2.59
–1
V800 m (m · s ) 6.27 ± 0.21 5.45 ± 0.38 p < 0.001 2.59

Training & Testing

% World indoor recorda 80.5 ± 2.8 70.0 ± 4.8 p < 0.001 2.59

PTV: peak treadmill velocity; [La ]b, peak: peak blood lactate concentration; V800 m: mean velocity over the 800-m time trial; n.s.: nonsignificant (p > 0.05); : 7.79 m · s–1 by
– a

Wilson Kipketer from Denmark in 1997

Table 3 V̇O2 kinetics for highly trained (HT) and recreationally trained (RT) groups. Values are mean ± standard deviation (95% confidence
interval)

HT RT P (effect size)

Baseline (ml · kg–1 · min–1 ) 8.6 ± 2.4 (6.9 to 10.2) 7.3 ± 0.6 (6.9 to 7.7) n.s. (0.77)
Amplitude (ml · kg–1 · min–1 ) 60.0 ± 5.0 (56.5 to 63.5) 53.5 ± 5.7 (49.9 to 57.0) p < 0.05 (1.21)
End-exercise V̇O2 (ml · kg–1 · min–1 ) 68.6 ± 6.1 (64.3 to 72.8) 60.7 ± 5.5 (57.3 to 64.1) p < 0.05 (1.35)
End-exercise V̇O2 (%V̇O2max) 97.9 ± 3.2 (95.7 to 100.2) 96.2 ± 4.3 (93.6 to 98.9) n.s. (0.44)
τ (s) 24.7 ± 3.3 (22.4 to 27.0) 30.9 ± 7.0 (26.6 to 35.2) p < 0.05 (1.09)

n.s.: nonsignificant (p > 0.05)

521
Table 4 Correlation matrix between performance in the 800-m
time trial (s) and relevant parameters

PTV (m · s–1 ) – 0.88a

–1 –1
V̇O2max (ml · kg · min ) – 0.68a
End-exercise V̇O2 (ml · kg–1 · min–1 ) – 0.63a
Amplitude (ml · kg–1 · min–1 ) – 0.60a
τ (s) 0.30
O2def (ml · kg–1 ) – 0.05
O2def at TAU (ml · kg–1 ) – 0.05

PTV: peak treadmill velocity; O2def: oxygen deficit; a p < 0.05

We found PTV, V̇O2max, amplitude and end-exercise V̇O2 to be sig-

nificantly associated with performance. Fig. 1 Comparison of the “gain” computed from end-exercise V̇O2
(left side) and V̇O2(amplitude) (right side) for the group of highly trained
(HT) and recreationally trained (RT) subjects. Symbols are: mean: —;
standard error: &; standard deviation: ⊥.
Discussion

The aim of this study was to compare the V̇O2 kinetics of highly-
versus recreationally-trained subjects during a constant velocity
test in the supramaximal intensity domain, in relationship with
running performance in the 800 m. The salient fact of our study
was that the difference in performance between highly- and rec-
reationally-trained runners was associated with significant alter-
ation of the V̇O2 on-kinetics. Highly trained runners exhibited
faster on-kinetics and a higher amplitude than their recreation-
ally trained counterparts.
Contrary to our hypothesis, this difference in the V̇O2 response to
supramaximal exercise did not result in a significant difference
in O2def between groups at the beginning of exercise. Such a dis-
crepancy with expected results is surprising, since both param-

Bosquet L et al. V̇O2 Kinetics and Performance … Int J Sports Med 2007; 28: 518 – 524
 eters should follow each other. It should be noted, however, that
τ and O2def were clearly associated in our study (r = 0.90,
p < 0.001). Although interpretation of this correlation should be
made with caution (these measures are not independent), they
suggest, however, that subjects with shorter τ exhibit lower
O2def. Consequently, the lack of difference between groups was
probably a statistical matter. In fact, statistical power of τ was
∼ 0.70 for the sample size used at the 0.05 alpha level, while it
was only ∼ 0.20 for O2def. It would have been necessary to raise
the number of subjects to ∼ 40 to reach a statistical power com-
parable to τ at the 0.05 alpha level, and eventually make the dif-
ference between groups significant. In parallel to this statistical
consideration, it should be kept in mind that the determination
of O2def is associated with many shortcomings that clearly ques-
Training & Testing
tion its validity [1, 2]. These apply to the method of Whipp [48],
but also to other methods available in the literature [23, 32]. In
addition to the undeniable lack of statistical power for this de-
pendant variable, the determination of O2def per se probably
contributed to the fact that the alteration of τ was not accompa-
nied by a concomitant alteration of O2def.
Performance level was associated with a higher amplitude of the
V̇O2 response during the constant velocity test for HT, which re-
sulted in a higher end-exercise V̇O2. This difference seemed to be
clearly associated with a higher V̇O2max in HT (r = 0.94, p < 0.05).
However, when end-exercise V̇O2 was expressed as a percentage
of V̇O2max, it was not different between groups, representing
∼ 97 %. Together with similar Gamplitude between groups, the result
of this normalization suggests that the difference of end-exercise
V̇O2, when expressed in absolute units, does not reflect any dif-
ference in underlying physiological mechanisms. The non-at-
tainment of V̇O2max, despite reaching exhaustion, has consis-
522 tently been reported in exercise of such duration and intensity.
Hill et al. [22], as well as Spencer et al. [45] and Draper and
Wood, [9,10] found a ∼ 90 % V̇O2max at the end of supramaximal
exercise lasting ∼ 120 seconds. This is clearly lower than our re-
sults. It is, however, worth noting that the duration of the shorter
trial, which was used to produce the average V̇O2 response, was
substantially longer in our study (192 ± 40 seconds). The primary
component of the V̇O2 response had more time to develop, thus
reaching a higher % V̇O2max.
The fact that V̇O2max was not reached at the end of exercise is in-
teresting considering discussions about underlying mechanisms
causing fatigue, other than O2 delivery or utilization to/by the
muscle. According to the size principle of Henneman [20], any in-
crease in exercise intensity will ensue with a higher recruitment
of type II muscle fibers. It is therefore expected that more fati-
gable and also less efficient type II [24] muscle fibers will con-
tribute substantially to the total power output during an exercise
of supramaximal intensity, but with a greater relative contribu-
tion of anaerobiosis than type I muscle fibers. Such an allegation
is coherent with the lower Gamplitude that has already been report-
ed in the severe and supramaximal intensity domains [4, 40].
Saltin et al. [39] pointed out that excitation-contraction failure
coupled with reduced nervous drive were probably the main
sources of fatigue and exhaustion during an intense, short, ex-
haustive exercise. In fact, it is well established that potassium ac-
cumulation in the interstitial space, which may result in an in-
ability of the sarcolemma and the T-tubule system to propagate
Bosquet L et al. V̇O2 Kinetics and Performance … Int J Sports Med 2007; 28: 518 – 524
action potential at high frequency [42], is more pronounced in
type II muscle fibers [27]. Moreover, the decline in motoneurons
firing rates that characterize central fatigue has also been shown
to be higher in fast motor units [15]. Other mechanisms like a re-
duction in calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum [13],
a calcium desensitization at the neuromuscular junction [43] or
at the troponin C level [18], or a failure of the action potential to
propagate along each branch of a motor axon [44] are some
mechanisms among a pleiad of others, that may also contribute
to fatigue or exhaustion in intense, short, exhaustive exercise.
Although it is only speculation, it is likely that such mechanisms
were largely involved in our study, and contributed substantially
to the cascade of events leading to exhaustion before attainment
of V̇O2max.
PTV was the better predictor of running performance in the
800 m among the parameters we measured (r = – 0.88, p < 0.05).
Such a close association has already been reported in the litera-
ture for running events ranging from 800 m to the half-marathon
[8, 31, 34, 37]. The fact that it was better correlated with perfor-
mance than V̇O2max alone was expected, since PTV is determined
by both V̇O2max and the energy cost of running [8]. The absence of
a relationship between O2def and performance in events of sim-
ilar duration than the 800 m has already been reported in the lit-
erature [6, 35, 41]. Gastin [16] computed from the results of over
30 studies that anaerobic contribution accounted for 30 to 40 %
of the variance in events lasting 120 seconds, which corresponds
to a maximal correlation of ∼ 0.60. As already underlined by Craig
and Morgan [6], it means that even under perfect conditions,
O2def would not be expected to be a strong predictor of perfor-
mance. The same applied to τ. The fact that it was not signifi-
cantly correlated with performance reflected partly a relatively
poor statistical power (1-β = 0.24, n = 84 to obtain 0.80), but also
a lower quantitative influence of this variable than other deter-
minants like V̇O2max. This does not mean, however, that it was
not a determinant of running performance in the 800 m, since it
was different between HT and RT. We did not perform a multiple
stepwise regression because of the small number of subjects and
the redundancy of some parameters (amplitude, end-exercise
V̇O2 and V̇O2max for example).
Some practical applications can be derived from the results of
this study. As expected, HT subjects exhibited faster on-kinetics
than their RT counterparts during an exhaustive bout of supra-
maximal intensity. It was not the scope of this study to under-
stand the mechanisms underlying such a difference. Although
this information has not been collected in our study, the training
background was likely to play a very important role, but also the
physiological adaptations that may accompany it, such as an in-
crease in muscle mitochondrial content [3] or a modification of
the muscular typology [28]. In this respect, the optimal experi-
mental approach, although very difficult to achieve, would have
been to compare two groups of similar training background, but
different performance level. Whatever the reason for this differ-
ence, the main advantage was probably a decrease of anaerobic
contribution at the beginning of exercise, although we were not
able to provide indisputable statistical evidence in the context of
this study. The results of Millet et al. [33] suggest that increasing
intensity of supramaximal exercises during an interval training
session induce a faster adjustment of the V̇O2 response primary
component. Now, it remains to determine if the repetition of
such sessions would involve a chronic improvement of τ. If such
a fact was confirmed, it would provide short distance/duration
coaches with a relevant method to improve this specific determi-
nant of performance. In other respects, this study, as well as
others [9,10, 22, 45], showed that V̇O2max was not reached at the
end of a supramaximal running exercise. As already discussed, it
suggests that neuromuscular fatigue is probably of more concern
than the metabolic one to explain the reasons of exhaustion in
this kind of exercise [39]. Although anaerobic contribution is
quantitatively minor in the total energy supply of events lasting
∼ 2 minutes [11,16, 45], anaerobic training involving strength and
speed training, because it has a great impact on neuromuscular
function [38], is qualitatively more important than a simple bio-
energetics analysis would suggest. In accordance with Draper
and Wood [9], it is our opinion that it would deserve a greater im-
portance in the training contents than has been suggested [14].
The aim of this study was to compare the V̇O2 kinetics of highly-
versus recreationally-trained subjects during a constant velocity
test of supramaximal intensity, in relationship with running per-
formance in the 800 m. We found HT subjects to exhibit faster
on-kinetics and higher amplitude than their RT counterparts.
The higher amplitude was not thought to reflect any difference
in underlying physiological mechanisms. The faster τ, whose ex-
act mechanisms remain to be elucidated, may have practical im-
plications for athletes and coaches. Additional work is needed to
clarify the relationship between this faster adjustment of the V̇O2
response and the utilization of stored energy sources at the be-
ginning of exercise.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the European Research Development
Funding scheme, ‘Interreg III a’, for providing the opportunity for
this collaboration to take place.
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