Buchheit M, Bishop D, Haydar B, et al. Physiological Responses To Shuttle Repeated-sprint Running. Int J Sports Med. Apr 2010. 402-409.
Repeated sprint ability, cutting and changing direction are crucial skills in many sports. Traditional training normally involves straight-ahead running. This study sought to evaluate differences in running performance, cardiorespiratory variables, muscle deoxygenation, and post exercise blood lactate levels between straight ahead, maximum effort sprints or change of direction, maximum effort sprints (shuttle-runs) in team sport athletes.
Key Findings
- Running times during the shuttle runs were slower than running times during the repeated sprints without change of direction by approximately 30%.
- Fatigue development was lower in the shuttle runs.
- Oxygen uptake and blood lactate were higher in the repeat shuttle runs compared to the repeated sprints without change of direction.
- Neither protocol showed a difference in muscle deoxygenation measured at the vastus lateralis using near-infrared spectroscopy measurements.
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