Jorge Zuniga, Kris Berg, John Noble, Jeanette Harder, Jeanette, Morgan Chaffin and Vidya Hanumanthu

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Purpose: To compare 4 interval training (IT) sessions with different intensities and durations of exercise to determine the effect on mean V̇O2, total V̇O2, and duration of exertion ≥95% maximum power output (MPO), and the effects on biomarkers of fatigue such as blood-lactate concentration (BLC) and rating of perceived exertion.

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Conclusions: To increase the total time at high intensity of exercise and total V̇O2 of a single exercise session performed by the athlete, IT protocols of short durations (i.e., 30 seconds) and sub maximal intensities (i.e., 90% MPO) should be selected. Furthermore, performing short-duration intervals may allow the athlete to complete a longer IT session with greater metabolic demands (V̇O2) and lower BLC than longer (i.e., 3 minutes) intervals.

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IN PLAIN ENGLISH: Interval training with short work periods (i.e., <:30) are an effective way to augment conditioning via improved VO2 max and blood lactate threshold.