Increasing Aerobic Performance Part I : High Intensity Interval Training

Multiple sports are intermittent in nature, requiring athletes to perform repeated high intensity efforts throughout the duration of the event (e.g. team sports, racquet sports, combat sports, etc.). Russell et al (2016) previously investigated the movement demands of premiership soccer players and reported that players covered a mean total distance of 9.5km, a mean high intensity distance of 487 m, and a total of 656 accelerations per 90 minute game. Spencer et al (2004) reported similar findings within competitive field hockey, with the mean number of repeat sprints performed being 4±1 sprints per high intensity bout. The authors also reported that 95% of the recovery phase during each repeated sprint was of an active nature. It is therefore evident that a major portion of the total distance covered per game is done so at a low intensity, with athletes being required to manoeuvre to a more advantageous attacking or defending position whilst recovering between each high intensity effort. Such active recovery based movement places large bioenergetic demands on an athlete’s aerobic capabilities, therefore requiring athletes to possess a sufficient aerobic capacity. 

Aerobic Adaptations that Favour Anaerobic Performance

Bogdanis et al (1996) previously demonstrated that aerobic metabolism significantly contributes to repeated sprint performance beyond the first performed sprint. The authors reported that aerobic metabolism demands increased from 31% to 50% beyond the first sprint effort when performing repeated 30 second maximal sprints. Hoff (2005) previously reported a reduction in the distance covered and the amount of repeated sprint completed during the second half of competitive games, suggesting a depletion in glycogen scores may contribute to such a reduction in performance. The authors further concluded that an improvement in an athlete’s aerobic capacity would lead to an improvement in stored fat utilisation, therefore reserving stored glycogen stores for more high intensity efforts. These findings demonstrate the need for aerobic capacity performance in athletes that require repeat high intensity effort capabilities, therefore enhancing high intensity aerobic metabolism contributions, recovery performance and glycogen reservation.

High-Intensity Interval Training

High-intensity interval training involves repeated high intensity efforts set to pre-determined work to rest ratios over specific durations, allowing athletes to accumulate a greater amount of time spent training at higher intensities. Another key benefit of high intensity interval training is that the repeated work to rest format allows an athletes aerobic and anaerobic capacity to trained simultaneously. Tabata et al (1996) previously demonstrated that high intensity intervals performed at reduced recovery periods and all out maximal activity concurrently improved aerobic capacity (VO2max) and anaerobic capacity performance measures. Helgerud et al (2001) previously reported significant improvements in aerobic capacity (VO2max), lactate threshold and running economy in elite junior soccer players post high intensity interval training intervention. Such simultaneous aerobic and anaerobic performance improvements would be beneficial for any sport that requires repeated high intensity efforts (e.g. team, racquet, combat and endurance based sports).  

These findings demonstrate the benefits of improving an athlete’s aerobic performance within intermittent high intensity effort sports, and how such favourable adaptations can be developed via the correct programming of high intensity interval training. Another effective form of metabolic conditioning based training is maximal aerobic speed (MAS) intervals, which is explored within the second part of this article series (see ‘Increasing Aerobic Performance Part II : Maximal Aerobic Speed Training’).